Meet Me in Elysium
by Jennylovesjordan
Summary: A Starco story in the World of Percy Jackson. When Star is a Hunter of Artemis and Marco is a mess of a demigod. A love triangle-ish. What will happen on their way back to Camp Half-Blood? Sorry, no PJO characters. Disclaimer: All the characters belongs to Daron Nefcy, and the AU belongs to Rich Riordan. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Meet

The Huntress and The Demigod

Percy Jackson Style AU

Just another normal day at Echo Creek. A few dracaena, couples of Laistrygonian Giants hanging out in the park. As far as things go in a world where all the Greek Myth creatures were real, that was considered normal.

The only thing that was out of the picture was a girl, suddenly appeared in the corner of the street, scaring the pigeons away. She had long, dirty blonde hair, sky blue eyes and a mischievous smile. More like a sarcastic smirk stuck permanently on her face. She wore a silver jacket and camouflage pants splattered with mud. A small silver circlet, a tiara, rested on her hair. Her name was Star. She was watching something from a long distance, almost like she was stalking someone, which she was, actually. Keeping her eyes glued on the school building, she read the address from a small, crumpled piece of paper.

"'Echo Creek High School', huh?" She narrowed her eyebrows. She didn't pay much attention to the crowd that was starting to form in the school gate now. She only had one target in mind. A certain demigod she had to find.

"Gods, why do I have to do this? Isn't this those satyrs' job?" She mumbled to herself, annoyed. Earlier that morning, Chiron had come to cabin 8, where Star and her sister had stayed for the night, according to Artemis's orders. She is the current lieutenant of The Hunters of Artemis, a group of Artemis's maiden followers, and they are immortal, as long as they don't die in a battle. She had absolutely no idea why she had to watch and bring this sixteen-year-old demigod to Camp Half-Blood, and was about to silently curse in her mind, but something she saw cut her train of thoughts.

A red hoodie.

"Bingo." She smiled. Still staying in her hiding spot, she carefully took out a pair of binoculars. Normally, she doesn't need those stupid human things to help her look further, but Lady Artemis insisted on her doing this like a normal mortal. Talk about unusual things.

Star kept her eyes on the kid with the red hoodie all the time, but then a bell rang, and all Hades broke loose. Kids began to ran everywhere in an extremely random way, and in that mess, she lost the young demigod.

"Dammit!" She cursed and knocked over a small log. She tried her best to find him, assuming that kid is a boy, but it seems like he had disappeared. Star stomped her foot angrily, and was about to leave until she saw him again. He was sitting in a room and chatting happily with his friends. She felt bad for the kid, really, because his life is about to be flipped over completely. Star was tempted to just march into the room, grab him by the collar and drag him to Camp, ending her super boring mission. But, as mentioned before, Lady Artemis forbids her to do anything inhuman like. And she was pretty sure kidnapping a 16-year-old student in the middle of the entire school was going to give her some enormous trouble with her Goddess. Moreover, she might just scare him away. That would be bad.

So, instead of making a move, Star found herself sitting on the slightly wet grass, playing with her silver bow, and just waiting in absolute boredom. The thing is, about 1000 years ago, she was a demigod, too. Daughter of Aphrodite, actually. As a result, she was extremely ADHD. She chose to join the Hunters of Artemis so she will never have to get married. She was sick of how man kept flirting with her, treating her as if she was only an object, some kind of doll they can buy and showed off to their friends. Somehow, her thoughts drifted to that dark past of hers.

She shivered as she thought of what happened 1000 years ago.

On that cold, frightful night, she was just messing around with her loom, making a beautiful tapestry of Aphrodite, her mother. It's like she had been blessed by Athena, because weaving is something she was really good at. Her night was passing by peacefully, until someone banged at her door. She jumped up instinctively, too scared to open the door. What if it was a dracaena? A witch? Or, even worse, a hydra?

"Silly Star," she thought, "Hydras don't knock your door. Neither a dracaena, or a witch. If they were monsters, you would have been eaten by now." So, Star gingerly walked to the door, and opened it. It was one of her suitors. They can't marry her, because her father had died, and her mother didn't even care. The choice was hers, so of course, she refused to marry anyone of them.

"Tom?" She asked, clearly surprised. Star was tempted to marry Tom before, the best of the suitors, but she thought again when she caught him with another woman in his bedroom. What Tom was doing in her house that night, she wouldn't have known if it wasn't for Artemis.

She heard a voice whispered in her mind, "Do not trust him, my girl." The voice was as smooth as the moonlight that night. "He wants to make you his, to own you as one of his woman."

Star might have been light-headed and naive, but she wasn't stupid. She knew exactly who was whispering in her ear. The Goddess Artemis.

Tom pushed his way inside her house, and drag her with him, clutching her hand so hard he was starting to draw blood.

"Ouch! Let go of me!" She shouted and tried to yank her hand free, but Tom kept pulling her into her bedroom. Realization dawned across her face, as she constantly shaking her head.

"No." She breathed. "No, no, please!" But Tom didn't show any sign that he was listening. He pushed her to the bed, ignoring all her effort to escape. He was about to tore her chiton away when she reached at the dagger that her mother gave her on her sixteenth birthday. In a desperate move, she unsheathed the weapon, and stabbed Tom.

His grip on her suddenly loosen. She pushed his body off hers, her breathing rushed and hard. She stared at her now-dead suitor, and panic seized her in a breathless grip. Tom is the Prince of Thebes! The King is going to hang her for killing him!

Star ran to her little house's courtyard, where the moonlight gently illuminated everything. She got down to her knee, closed her eyes and prayed to Artemis.

"My Goddess," Star said sincerely, "I beg you for help. I have killed Tom, the Prince of Thebes. I never meant to do that, but I will do what ever it takes to protect my virginity. Please, Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon, I beg you for sanctuary."

She opened her eyes when she felt a small, soft hand rested on her shoulder. Turning her head back, she saw a 13-years-old girl with beautiful shining eyes, auburn hair and a comforting smile. The young girl had a powerful silver aura surrounded her small figure. Well, if this is not Artemis, who else could be?

"My Lady!" Star bowed with her head on the dirt floor. The girl - Artemis, raised her up with incredible gracefulness.

"Stand up, my girl. I do not blame you for what happened. What I hated the most were lustful men, and you have complete right to kill him right there and then. Now, Star Butterfly, I offer you a choice. One, you can have your normal life back. I will make the mortals forget about that Prince, including his parents. Two, I will not erase their memory, but I will invite you to join my Hunt, The Hunters of Artemis." It didn't take too long for Star to realize what is the right choice. She lived alone. Her father was dead. Her mother haven't acknowledge her in years. She had no one else and had been craving for a family forever. Now, she was given the chance to actually have a family.

"My Lady," She said, "I would like to join The Huntresses' Sisterhood." Artemis gave a pleased nod.

"Repeat after me." The Goddess demanded.

"I pledged myself to the Goddess Artemis,"

"I pledged myself to the Goddess Artemis," Star repeated.

"To turn my back on the company of men,"

"To turn my back on the company of men,"

"And to be loyal and helpful to my new Sisterhood."

"And to be loyal and helpful to my new Sisterhood." As soon as the last word escaped Star's lips, thunder rumbled somewhere, proving that the oath have been made. She felt a sudden wave of power rolled over her body, and her senses starting to work better. Star remembered how Artemis's knowledge of hunting and all the beast's weaknesses flooded her mind, remember how the silver aura warms her heart, how she felt stronger than ever...

Her small flash back ended when the bell rang again. This time, school kids converge from classrooms, and out to the gate. Star quickly hid behind a tree before she got caught stalking at one of the students.

She took her sweet time, waiting for the correct moment. After finishing her mental countdown, she jumped out of her hiding place.

"Agh!" Someone screamed like a Japanese school girl. She raised her head, only to see...

An apple red hoodie.

Really? Can't it be a brave and manly demigod?

"Who are you?" The boy exclaimed. Star just rolled her eyes, and drag him away from the gate.

"You're coming with me." She said simply. The boy struggled to free himself from her inevitable grip. Suddenly, her senses urgently warned her about an attack. She turned back and swatted his Karate chop away easily.

"Let me guess. Green belt?" The boy nodded reluctantly. Star pulled him to an alley, and let go of his wrist.

"Let's start again, shall we? Hello. I am Star Butterfly, lieutenant of The Hunters of Artemis. And you are a demigod."

"A what?" He asked. Star rolled her eyes again, clearly annoyed.

"A demigod. You know, half human, half god. Dyslexia? ADHD? Didn't know who are your parents?"

"Hey! I know who are my parents!"

"Oh, really? Tell me, then."

"My mother is Angie Diaz."

"Your father?" The boy seems to choke on his own tongue at Star's question. She knew she got his cloven hoof.

"He left when I was an infant." He said bitterly. Star couldn't help but felt pity for him. She had the same feelings about her mother.

"So," Star cleared her throat, "Do you know about Greek Mythology? With all the gods, spirits and monsters?" He nodded eagerly.

"Yeah. All of those things, including some interesting places like the Underworld, are real. Like, now real."

"I knew it!" The Diaz kid exclaimed. "You have no idea how hard those years have been!" He grinned like a crazy person, mumbling to himself. "Everyone thought I was crazy when I tried to explain to them!"

"It wasn't like that when I discovered it." Star said absentmindedly. When she saw Diaz's confused look, she smiled.

"I was a demigod, too." She explained to him.

"Was? Aren't you a demigod now?"

"Well, technically, I'm a Hunter now, so I wouldn't call myself a demigod anymore."

"Do we related?"

"Nah." She giggled. "If you're also a child of Aphrodite, which was impossible because you know who your mother is, but 'if', then yeah. If your mom is my mom, then you're my extremely younger brother." He narrowed his eyes.

"You didn't look that old." That got another laugh from her.

"Well, thank you." Star smiled gracefully. "To be honest, I'm over a thousand years old now."

"A thousand?"

"Yup." She said, popping the 'p' sound.

"You looked like you were 15, top."

"Aw, I'm blushing." He didn't buy that. She was definitely not blushing. "Come on, Diaz. I need to take you back to Camp. That's a long way."

"Take me to where? I need to get back home by dinner, you know. And stop calling me Diaz, it's bugging me somehow."

"Diaz, Diaz, Diaz!" She hummed his name like a song, and started to jump around. He rolled his eyes, then gripped her shoulders in place.

"Marco. My name is Marco." Star winced, the motion reminded her of the bad memory. She quickly swatted his hands away.

"No touching!" She hissed. He raised one of his eyebrows.

"Why?"

"I am a Hunter of Artemis, you idiot. We vowed to stay away from boys."

"We? You meant there were more?"

"This world is scattered with demigods. Greek demigods, you, for instance, were sent to Camp Half-Blood. Roman ones, however, were sent to Camp Jupiter."

All of a sudden, Star heard a howl of wolves, like monsters. She glanced at the streets uneasily.

"Come." She said. "We need to move before the monsters found us."

"Where? I need to go home for dinner."

Star rolled her eyes again. "Forget dinner, boy. I'm bringing you to Camp." She pulled him out of the alley and melted into the crowd outside.

"W-Why? What about my mom?"

"She knew you were a demigod already. Well, she have to. Your mother is probably the only one in your family have actually met your dad. I'll send her a note or something. Hopefully, she wouldn't be worried."

"A note? What will you say?"

"How about 'Your son have recently discovered that he is a demigod, so he is being chased by monsters right now. Don't worry, I have the ability and responsible to take your son to Camp Half-Blood, a protected place for demigods, just for him to avoid being ripped apart by monsters.'? Is that good enough?"

"Are you kidding me? Because that's not funny."

"Come on!" She laughed. "That was kinda funny."

"No."

"Anyway, we need to move. If I'm not mistaken, werewolves are—" Star was interrupted by a growl.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A new voice said. She turned her head around, only to find a hairy figure flashing crooked teeth at her.

"Lycaon," she snarled, "stay away from this."

"Or what?" Lycaon the Werewolf growled. Star immediately tugged at her crescent moon pendant. It turned into a long, dark wood bow decorated with lines of silvery vines. Like a flash, she pulled back the string, and a silver pointed arrow appeared, fitted and ready to be release. She did it with such speed and gracefulness Lycaon didn't even have time to move a muscle. The Werewolf tumbled back uneasily.

"Or risk getting an arrow stuck on your throat for eternity." She threatened. Marco thought it was kind of scary, especially when the arrow is right at Lycaon's nose, but the Werewolf didn't seem to be so scared. Instead, he did an awful and ear piercing taxi cab whistle, and Marco can hear Star cursed silently beside him. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small knife.

"Here." She said, and threw the knife for Marco. He almost got a heart attack. "I hope you know how to fight with a dagger."

"Why?" He asked. "I can use my Karate, can't I?"

"No! These guys can only be defeated with silver or fire. And unless you want to set your school on fire and ends the school day earlier than the teachers would expected, I suggest you to stick with the dagger!" Right as she finished her sentence, a dozen of werewolves jumped out of the park. Marco wondered where the heck did they come from, but he kept his question for himself.

"Good point." He said, and with a swift movement, he picked the dagger up from the ground. "So do I just try to stab them or something?"

"Yes! Aim for the belly! And leave Lycaon to me. He needs a special treatment." Star started to release rainstorms of silver arrows into the werewolves. They howled in agony and disintegrated every time an arrow hit them. The rest began to retreat, leaving Lycaon alone on the so-called battle field.

"Cowards! Come back here!" But none of them dared to step in between Star's arrows and their master. She smirked, a crazy murderous light danced in her eyes. Her bow have shrunk back into a necklace, and was now gleaming dangerously on her neck. Took out another knife, this one as long as her arm, she pushed it onto the beast's throat.

"Now. What did I say, dog? Stay. Away. From. This." She snarled again, this time the deadly and merciless aura haunted her every word. Marco was tempted to ran away for no reason, just get as far as possible away from this scary Huntress. But he knocked that idea away, because running at this time seems like a bad decision. He can hear Lycaon gulped, not even cared to put on a brave face. The Werewolf growled one last time, then melted into his own shadow, disappeared.

"Good dog." Star mumbled, putting away her wicked hunting knife. All of a sudden, she lost her balance and almost toppled over Marco. But she regained it at the last second, which makes him a little displeased. "All that charmspeak took a lot of my energy, didn't it? It's been so long since I actually used it." She shook her head playfully and smiled. Marco smiled too until her face hardened in the fastest way possible.

"Marco!" A familiar voice rang behind his back. He turned and found his girlfriend standing there, looking as stunning as ever. Immediately a smile bloomed on his face.

"Sweetie-" He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence because the blond girl had pulled him in for a long, passionate kiss. However, he wasn't so lost in it like usual. Somehow he was still very aware of Star's annoyed expression behind his back. He quickly wrapped up the kiss, and turned to Star, who was trying really hard to not vomit right there and then. Hey, he's speaking the truth! Her delicate face seems greener than normal!

"Anyway," Marco cleared his throat awkwardly, "Star, this is Jackie, my girlfriend. Jackie, sweetie, this is Star, my, um, friend, I guess?"

"Dream about it, karate boy. I don't do friends with boys. The girl, however..." Star paused and eyed Jackie suspiciously. The girl was a total knockout hotness. With her flawless and healthy body, bright emerald green eyes, the sensible blue highlight in her short, choppy golden hair and her confident, flirty smile, she was the perfect package for almost any guy. But, Star tell you, there is something really weird about this girl, something oddly powerful and mysterious. But she decided that she was just being paranoid after the fight and the charmspeak that drained her, so she let the matter go. Her face quickly turned into a smile. "Hello. Nice to meet you, Jackie." She offered her hand. Reluctantly, Jackie shook it.

"Come on, Diaz. We need to move. Before any more trouble come." Star said, waving her hand, signaling for Marco to follow her.

"Agh! For the 100th time, my name is Marco!" He said annoyingly.

"As far as I know, this is only the second time, and we've only met for less than half an hour."

"You are so annoying!"

"Thank you. That is one of my best qualities." Marco couldn't help but bursting out laughing.

"Wait, wait. Hold on a sec. Who is this 'girl', Marco?" Jackie said, but Marco hesitated.

"Tell me." She ordered. The words rolled out of her tongue, and like a tsunami, straight into Star mind. She stumbled and almost lost her balance, but also, she had a strange and wild desire to tell the girl anything she wanted to know. Star had a feeling she knows what that means.

"Not another one." She grumbled, breaking the spell of the charmspeak. Jackie turned to her.

"Excuse me?"

"Another daughter of Aphrodite? I'm so sick of half siblings already." The girl looked mildly surprised, and tried to mask her expression with an awkward face instead.

"W-What are you talking about?" She said. "Nonsense!" Again, the well hidden charmspeak rolled off, but it was no use against someone that a) Can use charmpeak too, and b) Was very much aware of what will happen.

"Darling stop it. It would sucks if I have to cut you down with one of my arrows." Star said with a half serious tone. Jackie looked at her again, this time concentrate on small details, such as the crescent moon necklace, the camouflage pants and silver jackets. She let out a sigh of annoyance.

"A Hunter of Artemis? Really?"

"Yup."

"Wait. Time out. Jackie, you know her?"

"Well, kind of. I mean, she's a Hunter of Artemis. Aphrodite's biggest enemy, kind of."

"And to be precise, I am a daughter of Aphrodite. So Jackie, your charmspeak wouldn't work on me."

"Wait, what is charmspeak?"

"Marco is new. Explain to him, would you?" Jackie waved her hand tiredly. Star rolled her eyes and start to explain the tedious details of how the world actually work. His eyes bulged in surprise and he squirmed uncomfortably.

"So," He said reluctantly, "you guys are telling me that the world is not what it seems?"

"Yes. The Mist hide everything from the mortals. Sometimes, it was so powerful that it clouded demigods' sight, too."

"And what about this 'Camp Half-Blood?"

"Honey," Jackie interrupted, "you remember that summer camp that I have to go every year, right?" He nodded. "Yeah. That's Camp Half-Blood."

"But how am I supposed to get there?"

"By plane, of course. It's in Long Island, New York. How else can you get there from Los Angeles?"

"No." Star suddenly said. "We can't risk it. If he's a son of Lord Poseidon, or Lord Hades, Lord Zeus would blast him out of the sky. You are safe, because you have been claimed by Aphrodite. No threat for you. But he can not fly. At least until we can prove his parentage."

"Wait. What if he's a Son of Zeus? Ohh! That would be perfect! I would be dating a Son of Zeus, who had all privileges and everything! All my cabin mates would be soooo jealous!"

"Cut this nonsense, Daughter of Aphrodite. I have to complete the quest my Mistress gave me. We don't have much time. Let's get moving before more monsters come."

"More? What do you mean more?" Jackie demanded, her face contorted in worry.

"Lycaon came here about a few minutes before you did." Star said in disgust. "Which is why we're overwhelmed with monsters."

"Hey!" Jackie protested.

"Ok, girls." Marco interrupted them before World War III started. "Star, if I go with you, can we just at least talk to my mom?"

"Fine. Mama's Boy." Star rolled her eyes. "Kids these days..."

"What do you mean?" Jackie yelled. Marco had to pull her away before she charged into Star, who gripped her necklace like she meant business. One wrong move and 'BOOM!'. An arrow in your face.

"Ok! Let's go!" He said quickly. Good for you, Marco.

Together they walked to Marco's house, which is a really nice-looking house, with brown walls and a white roof. The cozy feeling is definitely a big plus. The garden was decorated with various marble statues, Greek style. Star had this creepy feeling that the statues were watching her, like they're some kind of automaton. But nevertheless, it was a pretty cool house. Star would want to live here. Except for the statue-spying system.

"Mom!" Marco called. A brown-haired woman, with an apron splashed with clay and colors stepped out. She had a warm smile, with wrinkles around her obsidian black eyes. Somehow those fierce eyes didn't make her look scary, but they gave her an unique look, like a lioness when it was in love. Tender, caring and protective.

"Marco!" The woman laughed. "Hi, Jackie." She nodded to the girlfriend with recognition. "And just who is this lovely lady?"

Star can felt herself blushing. Really. It's been a long time since anyone compliment her, despite her knockout beauty. Plus, this woman seems rather nice. Star hated herself for bringing Marco's mother the bad news.

"Look, mom. I, uh, have to talk to you. About my dad." The woman's face turned dark when she heard that. Immediately, her eyes shone with caution.

"If so," She said, "come into the house, my dear. All of you."


	2. Chapter 2: Begins

Chapter 2: Begins

"Ok," Marco said under his breath, "Here goes nothing." He was scared. Who can blame him? The topic of his dad is like a minefield, and his mother always tell him to forget about it, but somehow he can't ignore it.

He looked to his side and see no one else than Star. God (or gods), does she looks beautiful! Her long golden hair, her sparkling blue eyes, the nervous look on her face... It all fits her perfectly!

On the other hand, though...

Jackie is his girl. _His_ girl. The girl he had had a crush on since kindergarten. Years and years of nodding and smiling finally escalated as he got the balls to ask her out. He was so scared of Jackie thinking he was a freak, at their first date, he thought he might peed himself. Marco smiled at the vague memory. Oh, how silly he was back then. He still is now, that's for sure.

"Why the heck are you smiling?" Star hissed quietly, extremely anxious. She never wanted to be the one who brings the bad news, but, alas, that job was alway hers. She had rather grew fond of a normal life, and that is the main reason why she'd like to stay with her sisters than going out gathering lost demigods, a job that was supposed to be for satyrs.

"Damn you satyrs." she murmured, "Why do we even paid you guys to collect demigods anymore? It seems to be my job now..." They walked silently together, with Marco's mother leading the whole group into the house. All sat down, and Star politely accept a cookie from her, because she was hungry. Seriously, who wouldn't be hungry after a day of stalking on a newbie?

"So," Star cleared her throat, "Ms Diaz–"

"Please," the woman said, "Angie is enough."

Star hesitated, but continue, "Ms Angie. I assume you have already know that Marco is a demigod?"

"Indeed I have." Angie said coldly. Her voice made Star's back hair rise up.

"Mom," Marco interrupted, "please be polite to her."

"Why are you being so protective? Don't tell me you're sick of Jackie and this is your new girlfriend." Angie smirked in her trademark evil genius expression. Jackie raised her eyebrows and looked at Marco questioningly, while Star choked on her cookie. Her face turned red, and she started to cough furiously. She quickly gulped some delicious fruit tea to wash it down. Unfortunately, there is something that she didn't think about.

The tea was HOT. She almost spit it out right there and then, but decided against it because that would make her look like an alien in that movie and give Jackie a wonderful and legit reason to make fun of her for the rest of eternity. Sure, she could threaten Aphrodite's little girl into duct-tapping her mouth up, but Star doubted she would back out. That girl is tough. Like, really. Too bad she's interested in boys. Otherwise she would make a lovely Hunter.

Little did Star know, just a meter across her, Marco was thinking how cute she was, with her reddened face, her desperate need of oxygen and the cold, murderous way she was staring at his mom. Then he felt grossed of himself for thinking like that about another girl other than Jackie, especially when his GF is right next to him. He shook his head and luckily, no one noticed the look he gave Star.

Star was lost in thoughts, but a small nagging voice in the back of her mind reminded her to clear up the situation. Still coughing, she tried to explain to Marco's mother.

"Ms Angie," She quickly said, "I am a Hunter. We vowed to never have the company of men, so you can cut down your theory and don't worry about that. It will never happen, I guaranteer."

Angie nodded her head, but her eyes glittered. "Doubtful." She said with a smile. Star's face turned crimson red, and ignored her comment. Jackie, however, seems obviously annoyed. To get the matter straight, she leaned in and give Marco a long, sloppy kiss, enough to make both of the spectators uncomfortable. Maybe the kiss made all three of them uncomfortable, but if Marco is anywhere near Star and Angie's feeling, he didn't show it. He wasn't entirely lost in it, but he might as well drooled a little bit when Jackie is done with him. Star rolled her eyes and mumbled. "Boys. They're all pigs."

Angie cleared her throat awkwardly. The two teenagers and the 1000-years-old-teenager-lookalike startled, as if they were suddenly remembered that she's there. Marco turned beet red, but still drooling. Jackie had a smug smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and Star looked away with clear annoyance on her face.

"So," Star grumbled, determinate to get this thing over with. "The thing is...". She poured out all the so-called secrets, her weird quest from Artemis and asked for Angie's permission to take Marco. She took the news better than Star would've expected.

"Fine," she said. "If he returns at the end of this summer, then ok." Well great! That's out of the way. Now the matter is to know who's Marco's father.

Jackie got that out even before Star finished her thought.

"Angie!" She said excitedly. "Sooo, which god is Marco's father? Zeus? Poseidon? Apollo? I wouldn't mind dating a son of Apollo. They're hot. But please don't tell me it's Hades. His sons are all emo and stuff. They're not exactly my type." Angie's face darkened again at the mention of her ex godly lover.

"I vowed to never speak his name again." She gritted her teeth, like the memory is too painful to be true. "Marco," she turned to him, "You must find your father. Tell him that I will never forgive him. That I regret of ever meeting him. But, I thanked him for bringing you to my life. The most precious thing of my life. For that, I will allow him to claim you as his son." Marco nodded, while Angie was on the verge of tears. She took a deep breath, then pulled out a bag of supplies from the nearest cabinet. Star raised one of her eyebrow in question.

"I've always know this day would come." Angie admitted. "There is a sleeping bag, some money, 400 dollars and 50 drachmas, a flashlight, extra batteries, and some ambrosia and nectar." Dang. That's what Star called a mom. Always prepared for anything.

"What's nectar and ambrosia? And drachmas?" Marco suddenly questioned. He had, apparently, cleaned his drool with his sleeve, because it was slightly wet. Star fought the urge to say "Eww!" and throw up, maybe. Hey, she wouldn't call herself a neat freak, but she really does find things like that disgusting.

"Nectar is the godly drink, ambrosia is their food. It could heal you real fast, but if you eat or drink too much, it would burn you up like a bottle of hot sauce. Terrible. You wouldn't want that. Drachmas is the currency of the Ancient Greek world. You could use I-M with a drachma and some mist. Water vapor, preferably." Jackie explained. She barely got the sentence out of her mouth before Marco interrupted her. Again.

"What's I-M? Instant McDonalds? Or Massage? I love massages."

"What!? No! It's not McDonalds nor massages! You Americans... Always thinking of Instant and McDonalds. It's Iris Message, you dork." Star retorted, holding back an eye roll.

Wait. Did she just called him a dork? Who was her? An Aphrodite girl?

...

"Oh wait I am." She thought grudgingly. She was brought back to the real world when she felt everyone's eyes on her. She forced out the brightest smile she could muster, which is not much, considering how embarrassed she felt right now. Marco's definitely not buying it anyway. Why would she try harder? It's just not worth the effort.

"So... Let's go!" She coughed out, and stood up. "Angie, it had been a pleasure to meet you, and I hope we can meet again in the near future." She offered Angie her hand, and the woman shook it. Star have to admit, she kinda liked Marco's mother.

Jackie and Marco stood up too, their hands intertwined. Star felt something strange stirring in her stomach, boiling up her emotions. She fought it down, like always, and faked a smile.

They walked outside, with Marco and Jackie constantly talking, and Star following them in silence. She was thinking, too. Of course she was! Thinking of how lonely she felt on this "quest", how she missed her sisters and mistress, how weirdly miserable she was when she saw Marco kissed Jackie. She couldn't possibly like the guy, right? No, no. She couldn't be jealous! Sure, she had her moments of sudden uncontrollable emotion, like now, but otherwise she was good.

Star was so lost in thoughts she almost bumped into Marco, when he stopped dead in his track. That would've been embarrassing.

Guess who she saw over his shoulder?

Yep, you guessed it. A freaking satyr.

How did she know that? The crutches gave him away.

"Ferguson!" Marco exclaimed triumphantly and hugged the crippled guy. It took Star a lot of effort not to jump and smack the satyr upside the head. He was here _all_ the time? Then why the heck would she need to go all the way from New York to California? Agh!

"Marco, my man!" Ferguson fist bumped Marco. "Jackie!" He smiled. Seriously? Who even fist bump anymore? What are they? Five? Star was just about to "introduce" herself with a "friendly gesture" when the guy himself spoke up to her.

"Well, well. Who is this lovely lady?" Oh no he did not just said that! Who do he think she is? A nymph? More important, who do he think he is? He's only a satyr. A lazy satyr who didn't do his job, and left that responsibility to Star. She wanted to chew his goaty face off, but luckily, she's on a "no goat" diet. Who would've guess that would come in handy to stop a messy murder?

"Shut your goat mouth, satyr. You have absolutely no right to talk to me, let alone _flirt_ with me! Everyone should known better that to flirt with a Hunter of Artemis!" She snorted. Ferguson's eyes widened, while Marco looked severely offended. Jackie was just being good old Jackie, and stick with the classic "rolling eyes" maneuvers.

"Hunter of Artemis?" Ferguson winced. He knew he was in _big_ trouble. Star nodded sarcastically, like, _Duh. Do you see what I'm wearing?_

Ferguson swallowed nervously, faked a quick excuse, then took off. He was quite fast for a satyr. But he's no match for Star. She held the collar of his shirt, while he struggled to keep some of his dignity in front of his friends.

"Oh, you are _not_ going _anywhere_." She snarled. He smiled apologetically, then sink back into the jacket he was wearing, trying his best to hide from Star's famous death stare. She rolled her eyes, then sighed.

"Ok, _satyr_ ," She said in a warning tone, "I will let you go, with one condition."

"Anything!" Ferguson pleaded. Marco had a confused look on his face, but no one was paying attention. All eyes were on Star.

"Lead us to Camp. You must know where that is, right? Don't make me tell Chiron, or worse, Mr. D. You don't want that, do you?" Ferguson shook his head immediately.

"I-I can't!" He protested. "I'm only a junior satyr. I'm not trained for this yet!"

"So why the heck are you here? You were supposed to be in Camp!" Star yelled. She can not believe this! A brand new demigod and a super cocky one had been bad enough. Now a satyr who sneaked out of Camp? What was Lady Artemis thinking? What have she ever done to deserve this?

"Okay." Star took a deep breath after seeing Ferguson and Marco's horrified faces. "Here is how things go. I'm going to I-M Chiron, then we will follow _his_ plan, ok?" Everyone else nodded in agreement. Star took out a drachma, then proceed to dig around in Jackie's bag.

"Hey!" Jackie protested, but stopped immediately when Star stared coldly at her. Star pulled out a bottle of moisturize spray after only a couple seconds of digging. Typical Aphrodite daughter. She sprayed the thing in the air, then tossed the coin into the mist.

"O Iris, take my offering. Chiron, Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York." An image shimmered in the middle and solidified into a middle aged guy. Meanwhile, Star kept spraying and Jackie is biting her lips and making faces at Star.

"Star!" The old man exclaimed. "Jackie? Oh. I supposed you two met. And, is that the demigod?"

"Yes, yes." Star said humorlessly. "Let's skip the chit-chat. We're in trouble." She explained everything to the centaur, who drummed his chin in thoughts.

"Well. I think flying won't be a problem. Just not on a plane with several hundreds of mortals. You don't exactly need to attract Lord Zeus's attention, and the mortals didn't do anything. It would be a crime to brought them all down with you." Chiron said.

"How are we supposed to fly without planes?" Marco questioned. He thought this whole idea of the Ancient Greek world is kind of overwhelming, and a little ridiculous. But nevertheless, he was happy that he's not crazy.

"You know who to call, Star." A mischievous smile appeared in Chiron's lips, which makes Star a bit nervous. She hoped he didn't mean what she thinks he meant.

"You mean, Luna and Sol?" She asked with doubt.

"Yes."


	3. Chapter 3: Pegasus?

Chapter 3: Pegasus?

"What do you mean?" Marco and Jackie asked simultaneously. Star frowned at the synchronize between them. She thought of asking Chiron if they really have to do this, but Jackie's expensive spray bottle had ran out. The message shimmered again then disappeared. Jackie barely hold back a cry for her moisturize spray, while Marco and Ferguson patted her on the back. But Star didn't pay any attention. She was too busy finding something in her pockets.

"Finally." She mumbled and pulled out a silver whistle.

"What is that?"

"Just wait and see." Star blew into the small object. It hummed a clear and beautiful sound, like a bird's first song. Everyone was in awe of the whistle.

But nothing happened.

"Anytime now." Star said nervously. Heck, why did they choose this time to play with her?

"I see nothing." Jackie pointed out the obvious. Star had to held back her wild desire to make the daughter of Aphrodite beg for mercy. Luckily, just right then, two bird like figures appeared on the sky.

"There we go!" She exclaimed triumphantly.

"Birds? How are those going to help us?" Marco asked.

"They are not birds, boy. They're pegasus."

"Pegasus!?"

The two pegasus dropped out of the sky, and landed next to Star. They're large, beautiful stallions with wing span longer than Star herself.

"Hi, Luna." She said to the pegasi with a beautiful coat of pure black fur. The winged horse, it must be a "she", had the same sparkling blue eyes as Star, but in a darker shade. Luna nuzzled Star and, Marco swore, the horse smiled.

"A winged horse!?" He jumped back in disbelief.

"I have a name, if you must." Luna spoke.

"A _TALKING_ winged horse?"

"Marco!" Jackie chided, "That's impolite!"

"You just told me to be polite to a horse?"

"Hey, dude. That's my sister." The other pegasi scolded. This one had caramel brown fur, with warm hazel eyes.

"Sol. Give him a break. He's just a newbie." Star chilled. Sol whined in disapproval, but say nothing.

"So." Star rubbed her hands in anxiety. "Everyone, meet Luna and Sol. Normal pegasus can't speak, but they can, because they're daughter and son of Lord Pegasus, the immortal lord of horses. They're also, apparently, sacred to Apollo and Artemis, but it's not like they're the gods' barn animal or something. It's more like an on-going friendship. Plus, Luna and Sol are also twins, like, you know." She turned to Luna. "What can they call you guys? Can they use your names?"

"You can call me Queen Bee." Luna hummed.

"Luna, you're still obsessed with that song?"

"Uh huh! That's a good song!"

"Well, forget what I said. Call her Luna." Star said to the confusing people who didn't get the reference.

"And that made me a Prince, I suppose." Sol said reluctantly.

"Don't be ridiculous. Call him Sol. He's a friend of mine. Aren't you, Sunshine?"

"Sunshine?" Marco asked in disbelief.

"I hate it when you call me that." Sol grumbled, while Luna whined in a horsy laugh.

"Aww. Would you like Little Sunny Light better?" Star teased.

"No!" He immediately retorted, leaving Luna on the floor, literately trying to clutch her stomach, hurting from laughter. Marco was starting to feel uncomfortable and extremely bored with the laughing horses and all, so he asked if they could cut the get-together part and start to do something.

"Oh. This kid is ADHD. Like, really." Luna commented. She got up on all four and nuzzled her brother, who still had disapproving glares like daggers aimed at Star. But she gave him a pretty clear message that they should move on, so, like a good role-model brother, he did.

"It's time to fly." He declared like a pilot and spread his silky brown wings. They fanned out and hit Jackie in the face.

"Ow! Be careful with them!" Jackie complained, while Star was hardly able to hold back a laugh.

"Ok," She wiped a tear and pointed at Marco, "Jackie and I are going to hitch a ride with Luna, while you and Ferguson will go with Sol. Ok?"

"But I want to go with Marco!" Jackie protested.

"Zip it, Blondie. I'm the one who's in charge."

"What? _Blondie?_ That's offensive! Besides, you're blond, too!"

"Yeah. But at least I'm not stupid. You're the typical kind of dumb blonde."

"Agh!" Jackie was ready to jump in and teach Star a lesson, but Marco held her back. After getting first hand experience, he doubted even his GF could take on his scary—, um, friend? He had no idea who she was, or what she was to him. She had said that they're not friends, but she didn't say anything about what kind of relationship they're in. _I hope it's not the "I-want-to-get-rid-of-you-as-soon-as-I-can" type_ , he thought. Nah. She seems like a nice person, once you get pass the _I-will-kill-you-slowly-and-painfully-if-you-touch-me_ vibe that she generated.

"Ok." She said. "Climb on board, everyone!"

"But I've never ride a pegasus before." Marco tried to explain.

"Well, neither do I." Ferguson agreed.

"That means you will have to go with someone else. Me or your GF." Star nodded to Marco.

"Hey, by the way, I'm not carrying Star." Sol suddenly grumbled.

"And I'm not gonna let the fat satyr on my back." Luna gave Ferguson a disgusted look, if horses can give a look.

"Hey!" The said satyr protested. "I haven't met you before, but Alfonzo was right! You _are_ mean."

"Thank you. I take that as a compliment."

"Time out! Let's do some thinking logic here. So, Sol don't want to carry me," she glared at Sol, "that means I have to go with Luna. Luna don't want to carry Ferguson, that means he had to go with Sol. And he can't go with Marco because they're both inexperience. That leaves Ferguson with Jackie and me with Marco, I believe."

"What!? But I want to go with Marco!" Jackie demanded.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't do anything about that. I can't be on the same ride with Ferguson. Work logic, girl. I know it's hard for you, but at least try."

"You— Agh! I am _not_ a dumb blonde!"

"Whatever you say. Come, we need to leave before sunset." Star said, and motioned for Marco to go with her. "Sorry, Luna." She whispered.

"No big deal. What are friends for?" Luna whined. Star climbed on, and Marco struggled his way up. She glanced at Sol's team, where Ferguson got half of his butt out in the open (It made her gagged), and Jackie just looked at him in distaste. She chuckled at the awkward situation.

"Alrighty then. Everybody ready?" The rest of the crew murmured agreements. "Great. Let's go."

And they soared up the sky.

It was the first time Marco fly like this.

Like, really. Just cut him some slack. Heck, he didn't even know pegasus _existed_ until today.

So he did the natural thing, being the infamous "safe kid". Scream like a 12 year old fangirl and hold onto Star for dear life.

"What _are_ you doing?" Star swatted his hands away quickly. An insane blush crept it's way up to her face. "Don't touch me!"

"Sorry!" He shrieked at the top of his lungs. "I'm scared!" He admitted. Now he was relief that he went with Star instead of Jackie, because this might be considered being a coward. Not a good way to keep your relationship with a girl _that_ hot, if you ask him. But he ignored Star and grabbed her waist like a teddy bear. Falling off to his dead seems like a much bigger problem that getting scolded by Star.

Oh, wait. Scratch that. She probably gonna kill him when they landed.

He's dead anyway! What else to lose?

"Shut up!" Star shouted. "I can't navigate like this!"

"Hahaha! He screamed like a little girl!" Luna laughed hard, starting to lose her balance.

"Careful!" Star warned. But Luna still laughs and Marco still screams. _Why did I even choose this team?_

"Chill, Star." Luna squeaked between laughters. "I got it under control."

Of course, that's when the Fates decided enough was enough. You can't just go around and declare that you think you're fine! It's time for disasters!

"Look out!" Star shouted just as something hit Luna. The pegasus cried out in agony, and starting to lost control.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Marco's voice flew in the air as they dropped down like a sack of rocks, at the speed of a haywire truck. They would've hit the bottom and became a demigod/pegasus grease on the road, but luckily, Sol dived down like an arrow and helped Luna. He struggled to support his sister, and they slowed down to a clearing in the middle of the woods.

Sol's help was enough to slow the fall, but it wasn't enough to make a soft landing. They rolled down to the slightly wet grass, which was starting to get stained in red with Luna's blood.

Wait, what? _Luna's blood?_

"Luna!" Star ran to her friend and checked the wound. It wasn't too deep, and it wasn't an arrow.

It was a bullet wound.

"Damn those hunters! It was the guy with his fake clay pigeons! I saw him!" She cursed then turned to Luna. "Alright, you're fine. Don't worry. I'm here. We're all here." Luckily, the bullet shot cleanly through the base of Luna's right wing. It didn't get stuck or anything. Star pulled out a first aid kit from her backpack, then cleaned Luna's wound. She opened her canteen of nectar and sprinkled some. It hissed like a frying pan, and so did Luna, but the bleeding stopped. She took out the bandages and wrapped it around the wound.

"That should be ok. I'm no daughter of Apollo, but I know a bit first aid." She said, then hugged her friend carefully. "I'm sorry. I should've warned you when I saw the pigeon hunter. I'm so, so sorry."

"It's fine. I should've paid more attention." Luna nuzzled Star. She smiled in respond.

"Oh gods. The sun is going down fast. I think we need to set up a camp."

"Where are we?" Jackie set the million drachmas question.

"That's not the matter for today. I don't care about it now!" Star rolled her eyes. She pulled out two handkerchiefs from her backpack, then set them on the ground.

"My original plan was only two people, but you guys butted in, so now we have to share the tents. Marco and Ferguson in one, me and Jackie in the other." She fanned the silvery papers. They immediately starting to grow, into two medium-sized tents. But when they looked inside, it felt like an entire one-person-apartment.

"Wha– But how?" Marco asked in amazement.

"The Mist, boy. It creates incredible things." Star said, then stepped in her tent. There is only one bed per tent, but there is a couch in there, too.

"Jackie, come in. But, to give you a 'heads up', I'm not gonna sleep on the couch." She turned to the boys. "You go to your tent, now. And if I caught any of you sneak into my tent tonight, you're dead meat. Remember?" The boys nodded quickly. They didn't seem too eager to cross the line, especially with Star and her scary threat.

"Ok. That solved the sleeping problem. Now, you guys," Star pointed at Marco and Ferguson, "go and collect some twigs for the fire. If this is where I think it is, there would be monsters lurking here. A lot, to be precise."

"And just where do you think we are?" Jackie questioned with a bad attitude.

"Angeles National Forest. We Hunters usually hunts here, because this place is seriously infested with monsters. Result of being located too close to the Underworld entrance, I guess. Now boys, shoo!" She pushed them, and they went inside the woods with their faces looked like they've just discovered that they had a rare disease, whimpered something inaudible.

"You guys should find somewhere to sleep, too. Unfortunately, I don't have a tent that is big enough for both of you, and I can't let Luna sleep alone tonight." Star said to the twin, who nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry." Sol said reassuringly. "We can sleep near the fire. That's good for Luna, too."

"Okay. So do you need my help?"

"Nah. We got this." Luna whined. It was her wing that is hurting like Hades, not her legs. She's not a disabled pegasus! She can still walk around, but gods forbid, she can't run as she pleased. It was driving her freaking insane.

They camped that night in the clearing, with a crackling fire going on. It spread warmth across the darkness and the awkward silence, but failed to lift the spirit up. Unlike others, Star was really troubled by the situation they're in. Monsters are following their trail, and if they don't move fast, they will never make it to Camp. And what about Marco's parentage? That is also something to be worried about. Her head spun like a tornado, and when she saw the moon up high on the sky, she settled for a prayer.

 _Artemis, my mistress._ Star said mentally. _I have been loyal to you for more than a thousand years. Now I have a question that required your wisdom to be answered. Why? Why me? Why don't you let the satyr take Marco to Camp? What part do I play in this? And why can't you help me?_ She waited. And waited. And waited. But nothing come.

That's when she decided she have had enough of this long, eventful day.

"Bedtime." She stood up, and slung her backpack over her shoulder, heading for the tent she shared with Jackie. Others scrambled behind her, but Luna and Sol stayed there. They will sleep here, after all. Star had set up all sorts of traps and protection around the campfire to prevent monsters. And she had asked a favor from Hestia: a hearth that burns through the night. The goddess had granted it, because that's the only explanation for the weird fire which burns without fuel.

Star threw her bag down to her bed in distress. She fell down to the soft and familiar sheets herself, and let out a small sigh.

"Dang. What bothers you so much?" Jackie asked surprisingly. Star can't believe it. Jackie actually cares?

"Nothing. But thanks for asking."

"It's no use lying to me, you know."

"What, you're gonna charmspeak me?"

"Nah. You're immune to that. I'm gonna talk to you. As your super duper younger sister." Jackie cracked a small innocent grin, which makes Star questioned what is this girl's real intention. Then she realized something. Jackie is her sister. The fact weirded Star out, and she is sure as Hades have never think of Jackie as her sister before. But, that's the truth.

"Um, sorry. Not in the mood tonight." Star found the first excuse and clung to it. Jackie just shrugged and climb into her couch.

 _What does this girl want?_ Star thought. _She turned her feelings about me into a complete opposite! What should I do? Agh!_ Star turned and turned again, but she can't find the perfect sleeping position. She rolled her pillow into an uncomfortable ball of cotton, then smacked it flat again. She winced at the noise, but nobody seems to pay attention. Jackie was sleeping soundly already. Star sighed, and think about what she will do when this ends to distract herself. Unfortunately, that only makes her wondering questions about this so-called quest more than she should do.

With another problem in mind, she slowly drifted to sleep.

 **A/N:** _Hi everyone! Jenny here. I just want to say thank you for reading my story and sorry for not update sooner. I got caught up with school and stuff, you know. But anyway, thank you so much to EVAunit42 for leaving reviews! You guys should check out his/her (sorry :( ) stories, there are amazing Starco stuff there. Again, thank you! Suggest what you want to happen by reviews, and next chapter is going up, hopefully a week from now. Bye!_

 _Favs, follows and especially reviews are always highly appreciated. If you did one of those things, thanks!_

 _Jenny 3_


	4. Chapter 4: Scheme?

_**Hi guys! Jenny here! This is my fourth chapter already. Few! Hope you enjoyed it, and, by the way, read on. Marco's father is going to be revealed in this chapter, along with other stuff I would recommend you to pay attention to. Sorry for not update sooner and thank you for reading this thing I write. It means a lot to me if you leave reviews, just to let me see what do you want and how do you think about my story. Very much appreciated!**_

 _ **Now! Go on to the story!**_

Star's dream that night was filled with nightmares.

Or, at least, at her standards they are.

At first, she dreamt of death, a curse coming and the fall of a female close to her. Your typical demigod dreams. Not so bad.

But, worse of all, she dreamed of a boy for the first time in her life.

The Latino. Marco.

Star found herself in a garden at sunset. The burning sun chariot cast a blood red shadow to everything, enchanted the godly feeling of this place. Thousands of flowers glowed like crystals. All of them together together made an intoxicating smell that filled her lungs with the feeling of home. A tree with glistering golden apples reflex the sunlight from afar. The Apples of Immortality. Under it, a messed up bundle of sparkling coppery scales flashed her eyes. Ladon.

She know where she was. The Garden of The Hesperides.

He was staring at her when she turned back.

"What?" She asked, minus the usual annoyance in her voice.

"Nothing." He smiled genuinely, and a weird tug formed at her stomach. She've never felt this nervous before, and it was killing her. He slowly moved in, still keeping her eyes hostage, then opened his arms. All she wanted was to leap in his embrace, but she know this is wrong. All of this is wrong. She shouldn't even dream about him, much less let him touch her!

Nevertheless, she walked towards him slowly. Very slowly. But he had patient. A lot of it. She wanted to stop, to slap him, to do something. But she found herself staring at his warm brown eyes as he hold her tightly, and slowly smiled at his small, adorable mole near his left eye. She raised her head to meet him as he dived down for her lips—

Star woke up in cold sweat, just in time before the boy do anything to dream-her. He was _this_ close to touching her, feeling her, and that freaked her out. Even worse, Star was sure if he does anything, she would just stand there like an useless doll and let him have anything he wanted. She might even enjoy it. What _is_ wrong with her?

Star was breathing hard, when a soft snore startled her. It was Jackie. She rolled her eyes, and flipped the thin blanket off of her. She winced at the sudden cold. Stepped outside, she looked for Luna. Star found her almost immediately. She was cuddling with her brother. The black pegasus was tucked under Sol's wings, and a small satisfied smile was plastered on her face. It looked weird when a horse smile, but Star was used to it. The little scene was so sweet it made Star chuckled. It made her remember a conversation she had with her best friend.

It was a summer day, and they were just hanging out. Chilling, as the kids now would say. Star was sun bathing when Luna suddenly asked.

"So... What do you think about Sol?"

"Your brother?" Star lowered her sunglasses. The pegasus nodded. Again, it's something a human brain can't cooperate with, but Star's is doing just fine.

"He's nice, I guess. But if you're wondering whether I liked him or not, then the answer is no. Remember, I'm a vowed maiden. Besides, horses aren't my type, if I had a type, that is." She put her glasses on again, then let out a relaxed sigh.

"No. I mean, I know that you're Artemis's loyal follower, and you would never fall in love with a boy— Anyway, I didn't mean for you. I mean for me."

"Wait, _what_? For _you_? You know that's your _brother_ , right?" Star dropped her drink, and her face looked like someone just punched her. Luna immediately looked away, like she was embarrassed.

"Well, yeah. But, I mean, it's not a big deal, right?"

" _Not a big deal?_ Luna, that's incest! How could you?"

"I liked my brother. So what? Are Zeus and Hera incest?"

"You know that's different! They're gods! They don't have normal mortal blood!"

"Neither do I!" Luna stopped, and took a deep breath. "Listen, Star, you don't understand. It's not the same thing when it comes to love and marriage in _our_ world. My father wanted us to get married. He said that would keep the royal bloodline pure."

"What!? That's insane! You can't marry your brother! I mean, it's your brother!" Star emphasized her point with a couple of _You know I'm right_ looks. Luna hated that look. Her horsy face hardened.

"Nice talk." She said coldly, then trotted away, completely ignored Star's call behind her back.

"Nice talk, indeed." The not-flashback Star recalled, then smiled again. Luna actually go with her plan! How bold that girl is. Well, fortune favors the bold, right?

Yeah, right.

She turned around, and was about to return to her tent when she heard a small voice.

"—don't have to worry. I told you, I'll do it." The voice whispered harshly. Jackie. Star etched closer to the source, and only find a dim light illuminated the dark forest. An IM.

"Yes. Don't doubt me! I've just figured out that he's also a demigod. Would it make me a DoA?" Another hissing voice answered. Star can't see Jackie's expression in the dark, but the illuminating light allowed her to see the shadow of Jackie's smile. An evil, twisted smile.

"Great. I'll do my best. Wait for my good news." She whispered, then waved the message away. Star quickly ran back to the tent as quietly as she could, then flipped the blanket over, shoved herself in hastily, pretending she was sound asleep.

She can feel Jackie's suspicious look down on her, and the girl's hot breath tickled her skin when she bent down to check on Star.

 _Buy it, please._ Star prayed. She heard a small shuffling noise, probably Jackie's shrug, while her eyes are still shut tight. What _is_ happening?

 _DoA. What does that even mean?_

Then Star remembered some kind of rumors, gossip between Aphrodite's kids. That they have to break someone's heart to be recognized as a child of Aphrodite. A long, sick, disgusting tradition.

 _DoA... Daughter of Aphrodite!_

Star started to put the pieces together like a big complicate puzzle. She realized something.

Jackie is going to break Marco's heart.

As soon as Star stepped out of her tent the next morning, she knew something was wrong.

Jackie, Marco and Ferguson were nowhere to be seen. Star ran frantically around the camp, trying to find them. Luckily, Luna and Sol were still there. Star left them because Luna was asleep.

She was staring to worry when a laugh echoed from the nearby woods.

"Jackie!" She called. The blonde beamed at her direction with a friendly smile. It's hard to look into those innocent, happy green eyes after the conversation Star overheard last night, but she tried to keep a neutral expression.

"Star! What's up? Having a good night sleep?" Jackie asked. Star noticed something different about this girl, which might explain her overjoyed attitude. A dazzling golden necklace in the form of two extremely detailed serpents whose open mouths formed a clasp, decorated with droplets of gemstones, and a massive emerald in the middle. All of that incredible wealth rested on her neck. It was a surprise that they didn't weighted her neck down.

"I'm fine. Where did you get that necklace?"

"Oh, this?" Jackie looked down at the ingeniously crafted piece of jewelry. "I found this baby in the forest. Some idiot dropped it. Would you believe that?" She laughed joyously. Star eyed the necklace, nervous, because such a precious thing can't be _accidentally_ dropped. As she tried to explain this to Jackie, the girl's expression turned sour.

"Star's right, Jackie." Marco interrupted. "Maybe let her see if anything is wrong with the necklace?"

Reluctantly, Jackie took off her new jewelry, and handed it over. Star looked at it carefully. Soon enough, she found a description.

"Look." Star pointed at the tiny but sharp letters.

 _Για Harmonia, όμορφη κόρη μου._

"What does that mean?" Jackie snorted. Star looked at the girl. "Really?"

"What?"

"It's Greek, you imbecile—" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Anyway, it means 'To Harmonia, my lovely daughter.' Now, who is Harmonia?"

"I don't know. And I don't care. Now give me back my necklace." Jackie demanded. Star rolled her eyes, but tossed the thing back to Jackie's waiting arms, who immediately put it on her neck again, enjoying the feeling of a billion dollars just hanging there. Just for a second, Star thought the emerald glowed and flashed faintly, but it was probably her imagination.

 _Harmonia. Who is Harmonia?_

They sat by the fire when the sun went down. The burning light reminded Star of her dream. Naturally, her face flushed red. Luckily, Jackie and Marco were too busy snuggling anyway, and Ferguson was playing his reed pipes, making soft melodies. The silence was probably comfortable for them, but it wasn't for Star. She tried her best not to stare at the couple in front of her, not to look at the necklace too much. But, as much as she hated to admit it, she was still a daughter of Aphrodite. Dazzling jewelry attracted her. Moreover, the mystery inscribed in it triggered her inner curiosity.

"So," Ferguson broke the awkward silence by stopping his music, "we still have a mystery to solve, right?"

"Oh, Ferg, if it's about mu necklace again, then stop. I thought we've talked about this already?" Jackie scolded, while the satyr raised his hands in defeat.

"I don't mean your necklace, Jackie. But seriously, you should get that checked up. I don't smell monster in it, but I smell something similar. A kind of dark aura."

"Oh, shut up."

"Ok, ok. What I mean at the beginning, before you interrupted me," he looked at Jackie, "is about Marco's parentage."

"Hey, man. Not cool." Marco retorted. He had never felt comfortable enough to share with his friend about this tragic of his life. And now, there was that breathtakingly beautiful huntress sitting opposite to him, demanding to know as much as possible. She never did the puppy dog eyes, and he doubted she would ever do it, but the way she looked at him, with her startling blue eyes opened all the way and stared deep into his soul, it had the same effect. He let out a sigh, then motioned his best friend to carry on.

"Ok. Let's skim through the gods, shall we? Jackie. Suggestions?"

"Zeus?" Jackie's eyes sparkled.

"I know you're a Blondie. Marco can't fly, breath underwater or summon skeletons. He can't be a son of the Big Three." Star rolled her eyes. Jackie huffed then rested in Marco's chest again, nuzzled him like a kitten.

"Apollo, maybe?" Ferguson suggested.

"Marco," Star nodded to him, "can you try to sing something?"

"What? Me? Singing?" Marco suddenly down to earth, and glared around panically.

"Oh no. Don't do it. Bad idea." Jackie mouthed to Star, who decided to trust her for once.

"Okay, so that's a no for Apollo. Dionysus?"

"No way. I would've realized if he's a son of Dionysus. He's so bad with living organisms that he actually managed to kill a cactus. Would you believe that?" Ferguson laughed, while Marco's face was beet red. "Bro. Why did you betray me?" He tried to sound hurt, but failed miserably. Others cracked up, too.

"Shhh." Star whispered. "Keep it down. Sol and Luna are sleeping." They managed to kill their laughter, but not after a good solid five minutes.

"Seriously speaking, guys. Is it Ares? Please tell me it's not Ares." Jackie prayed.

"Hmm. Can't handle living organisms? Does that sounds familiar?" Star scratched her chin in thoughts.

"Oh my Gods. You think it's– it's Hephaestus?" Ferguson had a surprised look on his face.

Silence spread through the chilly air. The awkwardness was so thick you could practically cut through it with a knife. Finally, Star spoke up.

"It must be."

 _ **Yep. Now you know who. Happy? ;)**_

 ** _EDIT: So one of my reviews demanded for me to put this story in the crossover section. I mean, sure. If that's what you want. So I'm going to move this to the crossover, and if you want to read my story, well, please go to the crossover section. Guest, happy? =)_**


	5. Chapter 5: Destinied

Chapter 5: Destined

 _ **A/N: Ok, so before you read anything, this chapter is what happened with Star and Marco since 10 lifetimes ago. Just trying to explain because I had a feeling that I'm making things move too fast, with Marco immediately attracted to Star, even though Jackie is his girlfriend. I'm trying my best to make it believable, and using one of the episodes seems like the right thing to do. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and tell me what you think through the reviews!**_

They said once you found out that you're a demigod, your scent is more inviting to monsters, and your senses sharpened.

Well, that's true. Our lovely Marco Diaz experienced his first demigod dream. He'll get used to this eventually.

But now, he was freaked out. A dream about that huntress? She's so going to kill him if she found out!

It wasn't the first time he dreamed about a girl, though. But it was definitely the first time a dream has been this vivid. It's more like of a forgotten memory than anything else.

He found himself in a delicate toga, the shoulders held up by a golden sunflower pendant. He gazed upon the sky through the huge glass window, which is very special today. The moon glowed a blood red color, with thousands of people talking and drinking near the palace garden. The wind picked up and sent sweet, gentle breezes to caress the skin of mortal. Fragrances of the flowers overwhelmed his senses. It was an unusually warm night in the city of Thebes. But Marco wasn't paying any attention to the world. His eyes were glued to a figure across the dance floor. Then he saw her.

Long, curvy golden hair flowed like a magnificent godly waterfall. A simple white chiton draped over her creamy shoulders. Smooth pearly white skin that seems to glowed in the moonlight. The same dazzling blue eyes and the signature mischievous smile that she gave him sometimes. She was so beautiful his heart ached in joy.

Star Butterfly. His best friend. The woman he loved.

The crowd parted automatically as she made her way to the Prince. Everyone was mesmerized by her beauty, her gracefulness and the aura of royalty she emitted naturally, even though she was only a mere weaver. The reason she'd ever got to this ball is because of Tom, her husband-to-be. The one and only Prince of Thebes.

But what about Marco? He fell in love with her desperately.

As polite and princess-like she looked, inside, she was a totally different person. Optimistic, hyperactive, adventure loving. She was the perfect match for him. And he knew that.

But she didn't. Her wedding with the Prince will be in two weeks time. This ball is also to celebrate the upcoming event. How could it possible for her to know that he had loved her for a long time? He remembered how heartbroken he was when she announced the news with the brightest smile.

So why was he even bother coming to this stupid royalty ball? Well, to be completely honest, it was because of the Moon. The legend told about the Blood Moon, happens every 80 years, when Eros finally shot Lady Artemis with his golden arrows, slowly planting love into her cold maiden heart, bit by bit. The Blood Moon is said to be able to binds two souls together for eternity, no matter how much rebirths they have to go through. But the moonlight only have that holy effect when it linens with the Crest of Desire, an enormous ruby shaped like a crescent moon, blessed by both Artemis and Aphrodite and gifted to Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, on his wedding day. The very thing that is hanging from the ceiling right now.

Marco still kept a secret hope that maybe, just maybe, when he finally proclaims his love, she will return the feeling. And what sets the mood better than the moon of lovers?

Suddenly, the music started. It's midnight. The cherry beam of light should be here any moment. The first dance, when the Blood Moon light shone, always belongs to the King and the Queen. In this case, it's Tom and Star.

Marco felt his heart throbbed miserably as the couple gracefully glided to the middle of attention. He wished that it was him who holds Star's hand, his eyes that stared into hers, his lips that whispered sweet nothings to her. He was so desperately in love with her it's ridiculous. He closed his eyes and let out a quiet bitter laugh.

The Moonlight is still not here yet, which is unusual. The music stopped, with Tom leaving to dance with the Princess of Athens. Star stood alone near a column, fiddling with the outer layers of her chiton. This is it, Marco thought. My only chance to talk to her. I can do this. And he made his way to the corner she was standing.

"Hello." He said awkwardly. Her face brightened as she saw him.

"Marco!" She leaped and hugged him, couldn't care less if anyone's watching. "How's my best friend doing?"

"Um, maybe you should let me go first?" Deep inside his heart, he never wanted to pull away, but to protect hers and his life, he did in the gentlest way possible. He glanced around nervously.

"Aw, don't be a coward!" She pouted cutely. "That's why our classmates called you the 'Safe Kid', you know." She giggled. How could she be so carefree? Didn't she know how miserable he was?

"Come on. I don't think the Moon will be here anytime soon. Let's dance!" She dragged him to the dance floor, much to his half-hearted dismay.

"Star, no–" He lost his words as she put her hand on his shoulder. A dangerous wave of warmth flooded his mind, soothing his mood. The soft music didn't help with his intent of pulling away, either. The look on her face certainly kept him glued there. And the way her eyes shone like sapphires, the lopsided smile so full of mischief, how good and reassuring her hand felt in his... It was too good. Too overwhelming. He lost control of himself, and let himself go wild with her.

She swayed through the dancing crowd, smiling genuinely every so often. He just followed her move, trying to remember that she's a betrothed woman, and her wedding is in two weeks time. Or the fact that her soon-to-be husband is a rich and powerful Prince, the only heir of Thebes. But he couldn't do anything. All that matters now was her, and her only.

As soon as they made it to the middle of the ball room, where the ruby hung, his hair stood straight up on the back of his head. Something was going terribly wrong, and he can feel it. But too late. A blinding beam of blood red light shone, showering none other than Star and himself. Marco was barely able to register the surprised look of the crowd, or the murmurs and whispers that was starting to fill the room. He kept dancing absentmindedly, and so was Star. She was, no doubt, lost in the moment. Her crystal blue eyes widened in shock, but she stared at him with undeniable passion. He can't take it anymore. It's now or never.

"Star, you have to tell me something." He swallowed nervously as she shot his heart with one of her adorable confused look. "Do you like me?" The wait was agonizing, and it felt like a million years have passed.

"No."

That one word broke Marco's heart. His strength sapped. His sanity leaked out of him as if he was a deflated balloon. The world spun and collapsed around him. He stepped back, stared at her in disbelief. His eyes stung. His head hurts. His entire existence disappeared.

"I don't like you, Marco. I love you." She said pleadingly. He sucked in a breath. Turned around so quickly that he was afraid he might get a whiplash, he was just in time to catch a tearing up Star who leaped into his embrace. Somehow, he managed not to fall, but his whole body trembled as his dream came true. He cupped her cheeks, looked deeply into her eyes for permission. When she nodded desperately, he kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

Her lips were soft and demanding. She tasted like strawberries, with a hint of mint. The back of his mind screamed in triumph as he cherished the woman he had loved since the day he first met her. Standing right here, right now, feeling her trembling with joy in his arms and listening to her breathless laughters of happiness, Marco knew he would trade his life for this. It was the most beautiful moment for both of them.

Their moment of love lasted, well, one moment. Marco's instincts shouted in alarm, as the Prince's guards ran through the room, separate the two new lovers. How could he be so stupid? He was too lost in the moment, that he didn't notice Tom marched to them with a murderous look in his eyes.

Two heavily armed guards hefted Marco up like he was a sack of meat. Two others locked Star's arms behind her back as she screamed and kicked the air. Tom looked down at her in disgust.

"How dare you? Betray me for a mere son of a merchant? Me?" He jerked her chin up painfully as she struggled to escape from her bonds. "You are a whore, aren't you? I shouldn't have ever loved you!" He slapped her hard. A red mark bloomed across her cheek. She writhed in pain as the guards pushed her down to the cold marble floor.

Marco face contorted in shock and pain. He shot Tom a look of pure hate.

"Do not hurt her!" He snarled like a wild animal, trying to yank his hands free. But his strength was no match for two grown men trained to restrain people like him.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Tom said coldly and without interest. "Kill him." He turned away.

"No!" Star cried desperately. She dragged herself from the floor and ran over, tugged pleadingly at the foot of Tom's toga. He kicked her away, and she slammed her head against a column. A sickening 'crack' echoed around the room. She dropped like a sack of rocks, her broken form sprawled across the cold floor. Royalty people panicked and ran away from the scene, leaving Marco, Tom, the guards and Star. A strangled noise escaped Marco's throat. He watched helplessly, his heart beats faster than it ever did or will. A guard unsheathed his sword, and raised it above Marco's head. He met Star's eyes as she tried to got on her feet for one last time, his own eyes pleading. But his message was clear. You have to live.

The last thing he knew was a flash of iron, a searing, unbearable pain slashed across his neck, and Star, who cried out in rage.

Then everything went black.

But the real Marco's dream didn't end there. He floated aimlessly in the darkness, panicked and afraid. He knew he was dead. It felt like forever until he heard someone called his name. A very familiar sound.

No. It can't be.

"Star?" He called out, glancing around. All he see is darkness. Total, never-ending darkness rolled out to infinity. His hope slowly died out. He felt lost.

Then a blinding light beamed his world. Star.

"Marco!" She called again. He flapped his arms like makeshift wings, trying to move over to her. Slowly but surely, she threw herself into his embrace, kind of. They stayed together for a long time, just enjoying the feeling of each others' body, until his question popped up.

" _Why?_ Why are you here? Did the bastard killed you?"

"No, Marco. I killed myself."

"You _what!?_ " Shock filled his voice. Star looked guilty, but she smiled.

"As soon as they killed you, I tackled a guard and grabbed his dagger."

"Star Butterfly! How _could_ you?"

"Hey, at least now I'm here with you." Marco couldn't argue with that logic. He simply smiled and pulled her closer. She sighed blissfully. Tom can not harm them here, can he?

Well, not exactly.

The shadow around them turned solid, as they slowly slipped into another layer of reality. The Underworld. Where all souls go. Marco can't help but felt amazed when he gazed upon the walls of Erebus, the churning water of the Styx, the sound of tortured souls in the Fields of Punishment. Star trembled in his arms, and he tightened his grip on her. Soon, they were no longer floating. Their feet landed on the sandy shore of the Styx, and they can actually feel the moistness of the black sand. But there was a not-so-minor problem. They don't have any silver coins to pay Charon, the ferry daemon who transported souls to the other side. If they can't get on the boat, they would stuck here for eternity. That would sucks. Marco thought.

Luckily, the daemon found them first.

"Marco Diaz and Star Butterfly?" He spoke softly under his black hood. The couple was too surprise, but Star reacted first.

"Yes, mighty Charon. How may we help you?" She said with her best respected voice. The ferryman remains emotionless.

"Come. Get on the boat."

"What? But-But we don't have any money." Marco said, embarrassed.

"No need. Lord Hades calls for you two. Now get on the boat."

They climbed into the small floating piece of wood. The 'boat' jiggled and almost toppled over, dumping them into the flesh-dissolving-super-freezing water. Star lost her balance, but Marco got her. Charon pushed his rowboat away from the shore, and headed into the huge, black marble castle stood on the top of a cliff. Honestly, if Marco wasn't so terrified, it would be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

The trip took forever. Literately. He was staring to loose sense of time. As people always say, the Underworld is immortal. Time is difficult here. No one knows why.

They stepped out of the boat, and Marco could felt himself being pulled towards the mansion's enormous doors. The said doors opened at his touch, and all the torches in the hallway lightened with strange green flames. Greek fire.

Soon, they found themselves stood in front of a throne room, with two incredibly crafted seats of powers. One is made entirely out of bones, which twisted in different shapes and embedded with dazzling gemstones. The other one was silver, with the same decorating style. A pale, heart achingly beautiful woman sat there. She gave out a powerful aura, an aura worthy of a goddess. Needless to say, Marco knew who she was. Star, however, was faster than him.

"Lady Persephone," she got down to her knee. Marco did the same. "What gives us this honor?"

"Stand up, Star Butterfly. The same goes with Marco Diaz. I brought you here today because of a special thing you did in the mortal realm. My lord," she said as a man solidified out of shadow.

"Lord Hades." Marco was dumbstruck. Get the chance to look at the God of the Dead was out of the picture, but, nevertheless, he was here.

"Yes, half-blood. Now, about your death." The King of the Underworld spoke as he sat down on his throne.

"Half-blood?" Star asked, confused.

"Yes, Star Butterfly. You are a half-blood. A Daughter of Aphrodite." Persephone said softly, her voice full of pity. Star stared down at her hands, as if they just somehow got different.

"As I said, about your death." Hades raised his voice. Marco and Star lowered their heads in fear. That's enough for the god. "Your death is an interesting case. There are two forces that would like to interfere with your fates, excluding the Fates themselves. So you two cannot be judged by the three judges I've originally picked for this purpose. I have to judge your souls. Now, the secrets." Hades waved his hand, and a stream of light spewed out of Marco's head. Star dived in in alarm, but the lights were harmless. Instead, they showed every single memory, every single event that had ever happened in Marco's life. Even the ones he didn't remember!

He caught a glimpse of himself laughing and talking with Star. That was the time of his life! He smiled like an idiot, totally ignoring the fact that there were two super-powerful beings in the same room as he was.

Then the lights dimmed and disappeared. Part of him was disappointed, but that part immediately vanished as soon as the same light illuminate the room, but this time, it comes from Star.

He saw her smiling with him, occasionally hit him in the arm. He saw where all of her free time had gone. She was stalking him her entire life! When he ate, she watched him. When he went out with his friend, she snuck behind a column, keeping an eye on him. When he talked with another girl, she was there, glaring daggers at the poor girl who he was only friend with. He chuckled at the sight of her beet red face.

"She was just like you, except that you're invisible!" Persephone exclaimed, grinning at Hades. He cleared his throat, obviously regret that he had decided to watch their memories.

"Now," He said after a fit of giggles from his immortal wife, "the two forces I was talking about. Come, my son." Persephone made a face at the words. Probably because the 'son' he was talking about is the result of Hades's affair with mortals. Or with another goddess. Or she's just hate him.

A black silk robe appeared out of the curtains. Star narrowed her eyes. Those robes seems, familiar.

Suddenly, she gasped. He immediately pulled her into his arms as an instinct to protect her. But he saw what she had seen and his eyes widened.

"Hmm." the man doused in darkness said. "What an interesting surprise." He stepped out into the open, lit by burning Greek fire torches.

Tom. But how?

"But how?" Star said before he can even finish his thought. Her voice was a little shaky, but is still full of determinant. A mad, evil smirk twisted the corner of the Prince's mouth.

"Next time you try to escape someone by taking your own life, darling, make sure the one who chase you wasn't a son of Hades. With his own immortal wife!" He snarled, completely ignoring the gods that stood in the same room. Persephone rolled her eyes.

"Dramatic entrance. He got that from you." She said sarcastically.

"Well, he's not only my son. It takes two of us, right?" Hades shot her a cheeky smile, which is pretty rare. Persephone blushed.

"I would've left it wasn't for Star." She blew a strand of her hair out of her immortal face.

"For me? Why?"

"Because Tom here, this imbecile son of my husband—"

"Persephone. Remember, he's your son, too." Hades warned.

"Wow, Mom. Really feeling the love here." Tom blinked.

"Fine." His mother sighed dramatically. "This– boy. He wanted you two to suffer in eternal damnation. The Fields of Punishment."

"She was an adulteress! She should suffer!" Tom exclaimed. Hades, however, still kept a straight face.

"Calm down, my son. As much as I agree with you–" Marco's senses sharpened in alarm. "–the fate of the girl does not lies in my hand anymore."

"What!?" Tom and Star said at the same time. He glared at her in disgust as she shrunk back into Marco's arms.

"The Blood Moon saved her. Her fate now belongs to Aphrodite and Artemis." Persephone declared.

"And, unfortunately," Hades sighed in disappointment, "the same goes with the boy."

Tom blinked. "Does that means—"

"That they'll go to Elysium?" Hades continued. "Not really."

"You see," Persephone sighed, "The Blood Moon is ancient magic. One of the most powerful commitment ever known. So, of course, the 'lucky' couple that had their souls bind together must go through a test."

"Rebirth." Hades said simply. "Alecto." He called. The Fury appeared behind his back, her leathery wings flapped and she sneered.

"Yes, my lord?" She bowed her head.

"Lead these souls to the river Lethe. Wash their memories clean. Then proceed to their rebirths. You know what to do to test the Blood Moon's bond." Alecto bowed again, and was about to swoop down and carry them away in her claws when Tom spoke up.

"Wait. There's nothing you can do to help me?" He looked at Hades, who shrugged and Persephone, who shot him a smug smile.

"My son," Hades chided, "you have to let them go. As I've said, their souls now belongs to the goddesses."

"Fine. But I will get my revenge!" He bellowed. The couple shrunk under the wrath of the young minor god. "Marco Diaz and Star Butterfly, hear the words of the Son of Hades!" Tom said bitterly. "I swear, as long as the magic follows you and bind you together, as long as I cannot get the love that I've lost, you will never rest in peace. You will never achieve Elysium. You will run away from my revenge. And I shall hunt you down, one by one, rebirths after rebirths, until either you ended up in the Fields of Punishment, or your souls will crumble to nothing. The magic will faded and die with you!" Thunder rolled and tortured souls screamed. Star wanted to scream, but no sound escaped her mouth. Marco's face was white with fear. Hades and Persephone froze in shock.

"Tom. We will have a talk about this." Hades said, his voice tight and angry. Persephone frowned at her son with disapproval. "Alecto." The Lord of the Dead called. "Take these souls to the Lethe."

"Yes, my lord." And Marco felt himself get lifted into the sulfurous air, with Stat beside him. What have he gotten himself into?

The Fury dropped them next to a milky white river. The water smelled of poppies. He hates poppies.

Nevertheless, he met Star's eyes. She seems shaken up and frightened, but that's no surprise given that she's just been cursed by a minor god.

"Star," He took her hands. "We'll get through this. I'll find you, even if I have to try for a lifetime, or ten, or for eternity. Don't worry. Just– close your eyes. It'll be over quickly." She nodded grimly, and touched the water. Her eyes blurred ad turned white. Marco took a drink, and the last thing he remembered was the fading taste of the god's bitterness as the Mist swirled around them and they disappeared.

 ** _Reviews and favourites are very much appreciated. Thank you!_**

 ** _Jenny_**


	6. Chapter 6: Broken

**A/N: Heyyy everyone! I am incredibly sorry for not updating sooner. I had my exams and everything. Sorry.**

 **Anyway, new chapter! This one's a bit long and eventful, to make it up to you guys. Can you forgive me? :3**

 **By the way, have you seen Season 2 trailer? OH MY GODS! Smooch buddies! On the lips! Starco is canon!**

Marco bolted right up as soon as he tasted the Lethe. Immediately, the dizziness overwhelmed him. The dream faded away so quickly he can't even remember what did the water taste like. But he _did_ remember about Star.

Oh no. Star.

She's going to kill him.

Despite the previously mentioned dizziness, Marco was still very much aware of his surroundings. The tent he slept in wasn't small. On the couch, Ferguson was snoring like a trumpet. Outside, the sun shone and he can even hear birds sang. It was a beautiful morning.

It wasn't so beautiful when he went for breakfast. The moment he laid his eyes on Star, he knew that she had the dream that he did, too. She was nervous, somehow, and she kept dozing away from reality. It's not like he's fine with the whole 'fate intertwined' dream either, but he's not as worried as her. Or maybe she's thinking about a totally different problem, and Marco had been paranoid. Who knows?

"Hey, handsome!" Jackie greeted him with a bear hug and a kiss. He can't help but smile. This girl, the girl that he had had a crush on since kindergarten, is the girl of his dream. The one he truly loved.

But if so, then what about Star?

 _Oh shut up._ He told the small nagging voice in the back of his mind. _She's nothing more than a friend to me. Maybe not even a friend._

 _Oh really?_ The voice asked sarcastically. Marco shook his head with hope that the movement will swung the voice away like a catapult.

"Marco?" Jackie nudged him. He startled at the contact. His beloved girlfriend raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing." He tried for a laugh, and Jackie let it go, but Star wasn't so easily fooled. She studied him with her dazzling blue eyes and a confused look on her face. Marco can feel his face slowly reddened.

"E'hem." Ferguson cleared his throat. All three heads turned towards the satyr with the messy brown hair and a half chewed can hung at his mouth. Healthy breakfast, Marco guessed.

"So. Marco, my man! How did last night go?" Ferguson laughed joyously. Marco glared at him, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Ferg," he said, "you snored so loud I hardly get any sleep." Everyone broke out laughing. But Ferguson smirked.

"Really?" He said sarcastically. "Then how do you explain the dream last night?" He faked the motion of a Marco with a fit of convulsions, a horrified expression, and mumbling words that are too quiet to be heard.

"S-Star! No! Nooooooo!" He shrieked in his best "Marco voice", which is an octave higher than his usual voice. The real Marco punched his arm, not necessarily gentle.

"Ouch!" The satyr exclaimed. But Marco didn't pay any attention. His eyes were glued on Star, with a raging look on her face. She made eye contact with him, and Marco's insides melted like a marshmallow on fire.

On the other hand, Jackie is glaring daggers at him, especially after she witnessed his little "stared deep into each others eyes" maneuver with Star. She huffed and walked away, the bountiful necklace bouncing against her chest. That left the trio, Star, Ferguson and him, in an awkward silence.

"So." Star finally spoke up. "Explain yourself, Karate Boy." She folded her arms and overall looked like a really scary person.

"Umm, I was, stressed?" He scratched the back of his neck. Ferguson broke out laughing.

"That is literately the worst excuse I've ever heard!" He exclaimed. Star can't help but let out a laugh.

"Wow." She laughed. "I think you should be a Son of Hermes, you know." That immediately got his guard up. This girl was starting to really get on his nerves with his parentage.

"Like he wouldn't leave me either." He mumbled bitterly. Star's smile died out. She nudged Ferguson to stop laughing, but Marco didn't mind. He clenched his fists and hung his head in thoughts, thinking of all the horrible things he will say if he ever got to met his so-called father.

"Marco..." Star said. "I'm sorry." He took one look at her face, and his emotions flooded his mind. He turned away, took a deep breath and faked a smile.

"Nothing to be sorry about." He reassured her. "It's just, he's supposed to be my father and I didn't even know anything about him."

"Oh!" She squealed. "I have just the thing!" Marco's eyes followed her as she made her way to the girl's tent, only to return 3 minutes later with the biggest book he had ever seen in his life.

"Behold!" She announced jokingly. "The Book of Greek Mythology! It had everything you will ever need to know in order to survive! But be careful, it's not mine." She dropped the enormous book down, and a cloud of dust arose from the dry leather pages.

"Oh. A book. Great." Marco coughed. He's a big fan of books. Always. But now, seeing this humongous mountain of knowledge, he wanted to faint. This seems too overkill. Literately. You can kill a person just by throwing this book on their head.

"Even though the Mist is powerful, it is not flawless. Mortals that can see through it keeps popping up like mushrooms in August. Every time a Greek learned anything about the Gods and the world that had been separated from them by the Mist, they jotted it down here. This book is the most complete collection of how the Greeks saw the world back in the days!" Star explained. Marco's eyes were already glazed over when she explained how the Mist works, and there were drools on the corner of his mouth now. She looked at him in disgust.

"Hey, man!" Ferguson bleated next to his ear, and Marco went out of his low power mode.

"Wha-What?" He looked around. When Star gave her lecture, all Marco can hear is blah, blah, blah. Now, he knew he was in trouble.

But Star just rolled her eyes and opened the book. Marco coughed in the dust. He had asthma, for gods' sake!

"Let's see... Monsters, Underworld, Elysium,..." She mumbled to herself, fiddling through the paper. He sneak a peak through her shoulder, and saw the book was written in a different language, one that he can, surprisingly, read without any problem. He had dyslexia, remember? He wasn't suppose to be able to read things easily! Then it hit him.

"Is it written in Ancient Greek?" He asked.

"Yeah, genius. Otherwise how can you read it?" She smirked sarcastically for a second, then went back to her work.

"Gods, Gods,... Aren't there a Glossary in this thing?" She mumbled in anger. Immediately, the pages flew as if she had said the magic words.

A figure of a flying tiny man appeared right out of the paper. He did a spectacular bow and float aimlessly above the book.

"Greetings, My Lady. I am at your service."

"Agh. Athena didn't tell me that _he_ was here." Star groaned in frustration. Clearly, whoever the man is, is not Star's favorite.

"Huh? Wait, what? Who are you?" The man readjusted his glasses and stared at Star.

"The question is, old man, who _are_ you?" Marco suddenly budged in. The tiny man looked offended. He brushed the fabric of his toga, trimmed his beard and lied down in the most comfortable way possible.

"I am Glossaryck, God of Glossaries, servant of Athena. And you are?" The man raised his eyebrows.

"Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, Star Butterfly." Star answered. The man shrugged.

"Sorry, girl. Goddess of Wisdom only." He closed the book.

"Isn't this your book?" Marco asked innocently. She looked at him as if he just dropped down from Olympus.

"Marco Diaz. Are you even listening to what I've said for the last 5 minutes?" She is standing up now, eye to eye with him. He can't help but noticed that she's a bit shorter than him, that her wild blond hair had been brushed into a glorious golden waterfall. Or how she smelled of strawberries, with a hint of mint.

The smell of her hair reminded him of the dream. It woke him up immediately. He stepped back despite Star's surprise, and quickly ran over to the book.

"Gods." He said with an awkward smile. "You were looking for gods."

"Yes." Star replied reluctantly. She can tell that there's definitely something wrong with Marco today, but she can't quite put it in place. Instead, she ignored the problem and walked towards him. She took the book from his hands and her hand accidentally brushed through his.

Marco's reaction was faster than a lightning bolt. He pulled back so quick that Star thought that he was grabbing her hand. She looked at him in disbelief.

"Ok." She finally sighed. "Here it is. The Twelve Olympian Gods. Chapter 102."

"What does it have to do with our situation now?" Marco questioned.

"Well, it might help us, um, _you_ , to understand more about your, um, father, and we can complete the quest without the question hanging around in your brain, because when you're fighting monsters, there's nothing worst than a distraction. And we _are_ easily distracted." She ran through the chapter, and stopped at a part where it says _Hephaestus_. Marco stared at the name. This guy is his _father!?_

"Okay, here." Star pushed the book over to him, and he skimmed through his father's section of the chapter. It could easily be 30 pages! And the handwriting is _tiny_. That's a lot for a god as boring as him.

"I don't want to read about him. I'll read about his children instead." He said stubbornly. Star frowned with disapproval, but she turned the pages to a list of Hephaestus's children.

"Fine. Read." She huffed. Marco stared at her, but he quickly averted his eyes to the neatly written Ancient Greek letters.

"Ok, let's see..." He hummed. "Kabeiroi, Alkon, Eurymedon, Palikoi,... Ugh. Why did all these names so weird and similar?"

"Because they're Greeks, duh." Star retorted. Again, he glared at her, but it didn't bother her.

"Some demigods, and, oh! A daughter!" He said. "Harmonia?"

"Wait, what?" Star jumped and pushed him away from the book violently. She grind her face down and swallowed every words.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "The Necklace of Harmonia!"

"What? You mean Jackie's necklace?" Marco yawned.

"Yes! Look! Harmonia, goddess of Harmony and concord, daughter of– Oh." Her voice died out.

"Of who?" He assaulted her with his urgent question. She backed away, but still keeps her hands on the book.

"Of Ares and Aphrodite." She mumbled in distaste. Not her two favorite gods.

"If so, then why is she here?"

"Well, Hephaestus thought she was his daughter for, like, a thousand years. Until Aphrodite's affair with Ares came out. Then he hated her and gave her a cursed necklace for her wedding. You have a cool Dad." Star laughed half-heartedly. She stopped as Marco continued to stare at her. He zoned out and looks like a zombie, thinking about how beautiful she is.

"Hey." She nudged him gently, waking him from his daydream. "Harmonia."

"Oh, um, yeah. Let's see... Harmonia, parents, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, family, Cadmus, Thebes, Semele, _Dionysus!?_ Isn't he Zeus's son?"

"Yes, he is."

"So Zeus married his son's granddaughter!?"

"Well, I wouldn't say 'married'. It's more like an affair. What do people say these days? One-night, something?"

"You mean a one-night-stand?"

"Yes! That's the word. Yeah, Zeus occasionally have a 'one-night-stand' with mortals, even his own great-granddaughter. That's how the Myth works for you." Star said with disgust.

But Marco wasn't paying any attention. He was moving closer and closer to the Huntress, despite his desperate brain trying to take control of his body. Star, on the other hand, was so surprised that this _boy_ dares to make a move! She could've turn him into demigod purée, but her shock disabled her ability to think, making her mind sluggish and her arms weak. Luckily, he didn't get the chance to do anything that'll make Star kill him right there and then. Jackie's horrified scream shock both of them out of their daze.

"Wha-" Marco coughed out as Star immediately sprung into action, ran with unbeatable speed towards the source of the scream.

"Jackie!" She shouted, absolutely calm and serious. In return, Jackie ran as fast as she can, tripping over countless tree roots in the progress.

"What happened?" Star demanded.

"T-The werewolves! They caught up with us!" Jackie was breathing heavily, and she fell into Marco's arms. She was absolutely terrified. Star, however, was showing her true nature: A leader.

"Marco." She called. "Get Ferguson. Meet me here. We'll need to leave as soon as possible." Marco nodded, and was about to take off when she pulled him back, her hand on his shoulder. The feeling was so familiar it sent shivers down his spine.

"The knife." She said breathlessly. "You still have it?" He was tempted to ask what knife, but then he remembered. The small silver dagger that she gave him the day they first met, which is in fact, only 2 days ago, but somehow it feels like he had known her forever.

"Yeah." He pulled the little weapon out of its place in his pocket, and showed it to her. Pleased, she discreetly squeezed his shoulder and turned away, as if she might never see him again. He glanced back but only caught a glimpse at her messy blond hair as she took off to alert the pegasus.

In a matter of minutes, the entire crew were there. Star broke down the camp in thirty seconds, packed their supplies and led the whole group plunging through the forest, while preparing to fight with the extremely limited amount of silver weapon they have.

"Don't you have unlimited arrows or something?" Jackie asked. She was on the verge of panic now. A dozen werewolves were on their tails, and they need an escape plan. Preferably, fast.

Star looked at her as if she cannot believe how stupid Jackie was. "What, you think arrows can magically appear?"

"Yeah. Isn't that what you did back in the school yard?" Marco questioned. Star rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"It's because these arrows are made by Hephaestus. They are enchanted. They can appear whenever I wished for them to, but, like everything else, they _are_ limited." She can hear the growling sound of Lycaon behind her back, giving orders to his monsters. Their time is running out.

"Why can't we just charmspeak them?" Jackie asked again. She was pretty good with that aspect of power, and she was confident that she can use it against her enemies.

Star groaned in frustration. "You can't. I had a dream last night. A nightmare, to be precise. And you know how demigod dreams work." Marco's insides sank into the pit of his stomach. _She knows._

"I dreamed of, um, Tom. My, um, fiancé, I guess. But that was way before I joined the Hunt. Anyway, I figured out that he is–"

"A minor god." Marco interrupted. They were still running, but he can tell through the deadly silence that he had made a mistake.

"H-How did you know?" Star asked in disbelief.

"I had a dream, too. Long story." He quickly replied, his face red. He fastened his pace, while others struggling to follow him.

But they were too late. The monsters overtook them.

"Well, well. The Lieutenant finally gave up, didn't she?" Lycaon bared his teeth. A dozen of werewolves circled them, leaving no escape root. They're trapped.

"Lycaon-" Star said, but the beast interrupted her.

"Keep that for yourself, Huntress. Charmspeak no longer works on us. We have the blessing of-"

"Tom." She finished his sentence bitterly. "That bastard. It's been nine lifetimes, and he's _still_ going after us!?"

"Mmm. Master have excellent memory and patient, girl. A lot of patient. He shall doomed you and your lover until both of you ended up in Tartarus! And he had promised our rewards! Tonight, we shall feast on demigod flesh!" Lycaon exclaimed in triumph. His minions cheered in a spine-chilling melody. Ferguson whimpered in fear.

"Lover!?" Jackie demanded. Lycaon growled at her and she shrunk back defensively.

"Don't." Star warned. "Showing weakness only makes them attack you faster."

"Indeed. Listen to the Huntress, Daughter of Aphrodite." The Werewolf mocked. He paced around their loosely made ring of defense like a predator, and he came dangerously close to Jackie, sniffing her neck.

"Mmm. Delicious." He moaned. Star pushed him away from Jackie in disgust.

"Stay away from her." She hissed. He laughed like a maniac.

"And just who do you think you are?" He twirled a strand of Star's beautiful blond hair in his bloody fingers with crooked, long nails. Up to this point, Marco's mind stopped working. Rage clouded his thoughts. _That monster! How dare him touched Star!?_ He was very much aware that he might die here, but he couldn't care less. All he wanted now was to make a Werewolf smoothie. With a _big_ blender. A _really_ bloody smoothie should work.

But Star was faster than him. She glanced around, making eye contact with everyone and sending a clear message. _Charge_. Everyone nodded.

"NOW!" She shouted, and shoved a werewolf off her route. Marco sliced the knife blindly, disintegrating two monsters with his weapon and dazed them with his Karate. Ferguson played on his reed pipes, making tree branches slap two werewolves until they're unconscious. Jackie reluctantly took out her Celestial Bronze knife and fought for her life, but the blade bounced harmlessly off the monsters' thick furry skin. And Star launched volleys of arrows into the mob, killing lots of them, leaving a carpet of monster dust across the soft grass floor.

But that's not enough. No matter how much of them Star killed, more kept coming up and took their fallen comrades' places. The massacre only make the remaining monsters angrier, and they charged in fury. They dodged Star's arrows. They ripped through Ferguson's vines and grass. They pushed Marco and Jackie into a huddle, and aimed for Star herself. Sol desperately trying to keep his sister up in the air, away from the battle. Luna was badly wounded, and her conditions were nowhere near her enemies'.

Looking across the incredibly one-sided battlefield, Star wondered if this might be the end. But even if she's going down, the rest _have_ to get to safety. There's only one way to do it.

"Retreat! Run!" She shouted to her friends, and again, led the way deeper into the forest, with Lycaon and his army behind them. A crazy idea rushed through her mind. She remembered Persephone in her dream. The goddess wanted to protect her against Tom!

"Lady Persephone," she pleaded. "Please, I beg you. Bring my friends to safety. Let them escape. I will do anything to return the favor."

"Do not despair, Huntress." A loud voice boomed from the ground up, shaking the air. Everyone froze, even the monsters. "A portal to safety, not far from here. Run."

And then she saw it through the corner of her eye. About 500 meters away, under a tree, a black whirlpool of shadow swirled. If they can make it, they will survive.

"There!" She shouted. "Sol! Take Luna and GO!" The pegasus dived and disappeared through the portal. Lycaon roared in rage.

"Everyone, GO!" Star screamed at the top of her lungs, and pulled Ferguson along, who, _conveniently_ , is right next to her. Marco got Jackie in his arms, and stammered towards their escape route as she slurped and tripped. Jackie was half unconscious now. If they are not fast, she might lose it completely.

Star glanced at Marco. He was badly beaten up, with a black eye and a nasty cut on his cheek. His nose was dripping blood. There were bruises on his arms, the parts that weren't covered by the thin T-shirt. Even the shirt was tattered with claw marks, showing his bare limbs that were stained red. Blood.

"Marco!" Star cried. They have reached the portal, and she pushed Ferguson inside. She was about to ran and help Marco, when the same voice spoke.

"You have exactly a minute, Huntress, before the portal closed." Persephone rumbled, shocking the ground with her cold godly tone. Star looked around desperately, trying to hold the portal. Marco and Jackie were about 200 meters away. 50 seconds left. They will never make it.

"Let me down, Marco." Jackie cried. "Run."

"No! I will _not_ leave you behind!" Marco breathed heavily, lunging her along. No matter what happened, or who he really loved, he _cannot_ leave her when she needed him most.

"Please-" She pleaded, slipping off his arms. Marco shook his head and made an attempt to pick her up. She resisted him.

"Jackie, listen-"

"No. You _have_ to go, Marco. This is all my fault. The necklace- It's bad luck. I should have believed Star. Now I will have to die for my sins."

"No! Sweetie, come with me. Please." He begged, his eyes red and watery.

"I-I can't." She said broken-heartedly as she pushed him away. "Run!" Charmspeak rolled through his body, and he felt his feet responded to his girlfriend's command without him knowing it. Ten seconds later, he found himself next to Star, who restrained him with charmspeak, again.

"Star!" He turned to her and begged, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Please, we still have 10 seconds! I can save her! _You_ can save her!" He grabbed her arms desperately. She moved away from him, her head slumped in defeat. He tried to move, to run towards his love, to scream her name until his voice disappeared, but he can't. His body is not _his_ anymore. He stood and watched helplessly for half a second as the werewolves cornered Jackie, hungrily dived in. Star pulled him away and into the closing portal as his girlfriend's painful scream echoed through his head, haunted him for the rest of his life.

"Star!" Ferguson called. "Thank the Gods, you guys made it!" He sighed in relief, and gave Marco a cheeky smile. "Dude, you were _awesome-_ "

"Ferguson." Star cut his sentence short. The satyr looked at her in confusion, then noticed the decrease in the amount of people around him.

"W-Where's Jackie?" He demanded, his smile died out. He stared from Star's pained and ashamed expression, to Marco's bloodshot eyes and the dried tears that stained his cheeks. The truth hit Ferguson like a truck full of garbage.

"Oh, gods-" He murmured, flopping down the nearest rock. "Marco, I'm so-"

"Don't, Ferg. Just- Don't." Marco can barely make a complete sentence. Jackie's last scream still echoed in his head, slowly driving him crazy. His vision tinged red. His stomach rumbled. His legs gave out. He felt like he's going to either throw up, or die.

"C'mere, Marco." Ferguson caught his best friend and took him away from Star. Marco shot her a dirty look full of hatred and pain. She turned away, steadying her breath.

"Star!" Luna galloped towards her, and wrapped her normal wing around her best friend. "You ok?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Star whispered, trying to convince herself. However, the pegasus could sense that something was wrong.

"Where's Jackie?" She asked.

"She's-" Star choked. "G-Gone."

But everyone knew that was a terrible understatement. Jackie is not _gone_.

Jackie is dead.

Star couldn't sleep that night, no matter how hard she tried to. She saw Jackie's bloody remains every time she closed her eyes. And even if she can sleep, her dreams are fitful and her ears rang with her sister's scream. She turned and turned, but her mind and body were in panic mode. Frustrated, she stormed out of the tent and went for a walk under the moonlight. She wanted to talk to Luna, but both pegasus were gone.

"I'm sorry, Star." Sol had said. "This is too dangerous. I cannot let anything harm my sister. We need to return." Star reluctantly agreed, even though that decision left her with two boys, a thing she would normally die to avoid.

 _Speak of the devil_ , she thought. Marco and Ferguson weren't in their tent. They stood near the flickering flames, having an argument.

"Please, Marco." Ferguson pleaded. "You can't leave! Not now! Those werewolves will kill you!"

"I'll leave if she won't." Marco said harshly. "She killed Jackie!"

"No. That was an accident!" Ferguson insisted. Star felt weird that this satyr was actually defending her, even though she had been over-the-top bad to him for the past few days.

"That was certainly _not_ an accident. That-that _Huntress_ had always been jealous of Jackie, since the first day she met us. You know that." He spat out the word _Huntress_ as if it's something poisonous, something that disgusted him, something that made him sick to death. She felt something broken inside her as a tear fell down her cheek. Star quickly wiped it away. What _is_ wrong with her? She never cries. Not over a _boy_ , anyway.

But he was different than other boys. A lot.

"Marco-" She stepped out of her hiding place. She _is_ going to say sorry, even if that's the last thing she does.

"What do you want?" He ran a hand through his hair. It came out hard and frustrated. She winced as if he just slapped her.

"I-I–" She stammered and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He shouted. Her apology seems to blew his lid. "It already happened! You can't trade your soul for hers! You wouldn't, even if you can anyway!" She just stood there, shock on her face. He thought she hated Jackie? Her own sister? _What_ is wrong with him!?

"It's not my fault! She charmspeak-ed you into running away like a coward, remember? Besides, she had admitted that it was the necklace that brought her punishment. It bears a curse. From Hephaestus himself. _Your beloved_ father!" Star retorted. His absurd anger shook her out of her daze, and it made her angry, too.

"What did you just call me, _Huntress_?" He laughed bitterly. "Coward? _Me!?_ You don't care for anyone except for yourself and your stupid Hunt!"

" _Stupid!?_ My sisterhood is the best thing that had ever happened to me! And _you, boy_ , you'd better keep your mouth shut, son of Hephaestus." She spat out, the sarcasm edged dangerously in her tone. Her eyes were murderous, wild and filled with madness. He stared at her in disbelief. She _knew_ that he hated being called a 'son of Hephaestus'. It's the worst insult possible for him.

"You." He trembled with rage. "Get out of here." Flames flickered in the campfire. Suddenly, they rose half a meter tall, splashing warmth everywhere. A hot blast of air hit her face, but she did not back down.

"You cannot blame me." She said simply. "You chose to trust and love a daughter of Aphrodite. Did you have any idea that she's going to break your poor little heart!? You trusted her like the idiot you are, and this is your consequences of loving someone as twisted as her!" She screamed. One single drop of tear ran down her face. It's not a tear of sadness. Nor one of happiness. No, never. It's a tear of pure rage. And pain.

" _You!?_ " He hissed. "Out of all the people in the world, _you_ made fun of a daughter of Aphrodite? I'll remind you, _you_ are a daughter of Aphrodite. If they are all evil and twisted, then what makes _you_ different from the others?"

At this point, Marco knew he fucked up.

Star's face went through different emotions in half a second. Shock, disbelief, pain, then hardened into something stronger, colder. Marco's accusation hit so deep Star closed her eyes, turned around and she just took off running. Away from the campfire. From his hurtful doubts towards her. From him.

"Star-" He cried, but she didn't turn back. He sat down and, again, watched helplessly as yet another girl disappeared from his life in the same day.

"Dude, you messed up." Ferguson informed him, shaking his head. His face was sad and full of pity. "I forgot to tell you, but I can sense emotions. She was _hurt_. Like, seriously hurt."

Marco nodded emotionlessly. All he wanted to do was to run after her, into the dark forest. To find her and bring her to safety. To wrap her in his arms, telling her that he was wrong, and say sorry to her. To lean over and capture her soft lips in his, to stop her from protesting when he carried her back to their camp.

Instead, he sat there, staring at the dancing fire, feeling useless. The crackling sound of burning wood is the only thing that echoed through the endless night. He kept waiting for another terrified scream that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Silence greeted him instead. The moon seems to glow brighter, and more hostile, especially towards him. He remembered about his dream, about how they shared half a dance together, how beautiful her breathless laughters were, how blissful he had felt when she kissed him.

Oh gods. What have he done?

 **Enjoy the story! Favs, follows and especially reviews are very much appreciated :3**


	7. Chapter 7: Decisions

**A/N: Heyyyy guys XD It's been** _ **soooo**_ **long since my last update (seriously, like three months gods) and I'm so sorry for that :( Lots of thanks and laser puppies for people that stick with my story, and in this chapter the stakes is being raised.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

 _What makes you different from them!?_

 _Evil... Twisted... Jealous..._

 _Get out of here._

 _Huntress._

The twilight forest flew across her blurry eyes as she ran for all she was worth. Deeper and deeper, letting the darkness consume her figure. Pain, mind numbing pain took over her veins. Grief and disbelief racked her brain, clouding her vision. She breathed heavily but kept on running, as far as possible. Her lungs burned. Her legs ached. Her body and mind hurt. She haven't felt this kind of pain for a thousand years, but now it hit her full force, making her collapsed under the sheer emotional weight of herself, falling down under a tree and pulling up her knees to cover herself. Her chest tightened miserably. Her eyes watered, and she felt ashamed for crying. She is Star Butterfly, lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis! She is the strong and merciless, one whom incapable of feeling the weak and stupid useless touchy-feely romance!

And yet, every time she touched him- unintentional, of course- butterflies and pegasus and 'gods-know-what' churned in her stomach, leaving her all mushy and vulnerable, emotions raw and wild. She should never feel vulnerable, not even when a blade draw blood on her throat! She had never doubt her decision of joining the Hunt before, nor letting her thoughts wander anywhere near the chasm of despair that is breaking her oath and trailing after a boy for whatever disgusting reason. But when it comes to him, her mind went haywire with possibilities, strange affections and overly wild imagination. She noticed every single smallest thing about him, his actions, the way he looked like when he chides Ferguson for some stupid thing the satyr had done, his impossibly adorable mole, the twinkle in his warm brown eyes when he smiles. Everything.

More than once she had cursed the girly Aphrodite part in her.

It was wrong, all wrong. And she knew it. Oh, Star knew that this might as well be the end of her and what she had stood for for the past 1000 years. But there's nothing she can do about it.

She found herself in the middle of the woods, lost and hurt. The better part of her urged her to find her way back to the camp before any of them got into danger. Marco and Ferguson can't defend themselves without her, and she had accepted the role as their protector. Their safety is her responsibility now.

But in that moment she acted like a daughter of Aphrodite.

The fearless and unbreakable Star Butterfly sobbed harshly as she curled into a ball of grief, tears wetting her signature silver jacket. The small tiara sat crookedly on her hair, tilting dangerously as she continued to cry. Her body shocked violently, her heartbroken cries echoed through the eerie forest. She should not cry. Heck, she should never cry.

 _You do not love him. You will never love a boy. You cannot and will not fall under his spell. You do not love him._ She murmured repeatedly, rocking herself in a panic frenzy. Her emotions have been kept at bay for too long, and now they came back for revenge. She was shocked with grief. Then she felt ashamed that she cared. _Then_ she felt angry that she felt ashamed.

For the record, she has every right to blame the Fates for being so cruel. But it's not like it can change anything. Blaming is for weaklings.

 _So is crying._ Her conscious reminded her, and she shut her eyes tight. _Shut up._ She spat back.

The seemingly endless cycle of self-blame continued to torment her until she heard something shuffling next to her. A suspicious flash of silver. But she was too tired and grief-stricken to react fast enough. An expertly measured strike, pain exploded on the back of her head and then everything went black.

* * *

 _So close._

 _She was so close he could just reach out and touch her face._

 _She was so close he could just kiss those lush lips and wipe away the offending tears that stained her cheeks._

 _She was so close he could just hold her in his arms and practically feel her warm breath tickling his neck lovingly as she turned her head up to meet his lips..._

He woke up groggily as the merciless rays of sunlight beamed his face, every muscle in his body ached and strained. Long grass grazed at his back through the thin material of his bedroll, a dead fire greeted his eyes as they cracked open harshly. His hoodie was off, and so was his grey shirt. A blanket was draped over his frame by someone last night, all scrunched up and tangled between his legs. He felt as if the Minotaur had just flattened him into a pancake, then chew him up and regurgitated him into a pile of useless dump.

Useless.

He had sat there last night, staring at the campfire until it slowly died. His mind and thoughts were racing and freezing at the same time. Torn between running after her to ease his own throbbing heart and staying stubbornly to save what's little left of his so-called dignity.

He wished he'd never stay, though.

He should've ran after her. Should've stop her. Should've at least say something. Now she thinks that he hates her.

The venom of the words last night stung in his mouth, burning him with guilt. But, let's be clear here, guilt is not what makes him want to apologize. Sure, he had been a major asshole, and he is sorry about it, but it's more than just trying to be nice to a girl he had only met two days ago. He knew what that familiar tingle in his stomach means, but he's too desperately in denial now. Too fast. This is too fast and it's freaking him out. For the love of Aphrodite, his girlfriend just died last night!

 _Gods_ , Jackie...

 _No, Diaz._ He told himself. _Focus. Don't think about it. There's nothing lay in that direction but guilt and bitterness. Jackie's gone and there's nothing you can do about that. The priority now is Star._

But would she forgive you?

Holy shit, the things he had said to her last night was straight up brutal. The last look she gave him... Marco would never forget. Utter shock and disgust twisted her face, eyes hard with hatred at the mere thought of what he'd said. That is more than enough proof for him to believe that she would never want to see him again, never mind her forgiveness.

 _And she ran away too, you jerk. Good job. You officially fucked up._

"Marco?" He heard a tentative voice called for him, but he ignored it and draped an arm over his closed eyes.

"Marco?"

"Go away..." He grunted tiredly, too emotionally spent to do anything.

"Get up." Another voice spoke up, this one more feminine and ice cold. His eyes snapped open. He rolled over, forgetting where he was and trapped in the cocoon of blankets at Star's feet. Marco freed himself and scrambled to his feet, momentarily forgot about his state of undress, but the blond girl didn't even flinch. She blinked slowly and jerked her head to Ferguson, who quickly threw him a shirt.

"S-Star?" He asked in disbelief, then the gears in his brain turned again. "Star! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I–" He spluttered, but the girl held her hand up, said nothing and walked into the tent to break it down.

"Um, okay…? Ferg." Marco turned to his sweating best friend. "Spill."

"I-I don't know, Marco." The satyr scratched the back of his neck. "She showed up five minutes ago, demanded to see you. I thought she wanted to kill you, man. The murderous vibe she has gave me the chills." Marco shrugged as he put on his shirt. Okay, he might take great pleasure in doing things slowly, but this is just ridiculous.

"If I were you, dude," Ferguson chuckled. "I'd be faster. The girl has nothing but a short temper now."

"Alright, alright. I'm up." Marco said mockingly, but frowned at Ferguson's worried face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just... Something's... off. She had only been out for less than 8 hours and now she saw us as her enemies? It's a bit intriguing that she's not, well, the same anymore."

"Dude, I know what you meant, but c'mon, we've only known her for, what, two days?" Marco reasoned, his head half inside the shirt, struggling a bit. "Heck, maybe this is how she is. Distant. She's a Hunter of Artemis, remember? Isn't that how they're supposed to act like?" He rolled up his blanket, zipped his hoodie and dusted off his jeans. To be honest, seeing her like this is a bit of a shock, but he figured he deserved it after being a jerk yesterday.

"Maybe you're right. But I tell you, something definitely happened when she was gone."

"Hmm, I'll say that she finally come to her senses and decided to treat me like trash, because I'm a boy. Again." He said sourly.

Ferguson sighed. "Dude, there's a big chance that this is your fault. I can't say anything, though. I don't know everything between you and her– hey, don't give me that look, I know there's something fishy about you guys– I can't help you. Unless you tell me what happened, and how did you know about that minor god Tom she was talking about yesterday."

Marco folded his arms, but his glare softened. "Alright. But don't freak out, okay?"

"I have a bad feeling about this already."

"Shut up, Goat Boy. You want to hear it or not?"

"Okay, okay. Geez. Move on then."

"So, I had this dream..."

"Bad start. Very bad start."

"Ferguson."

"Sorry, sorry. Not interrupting anymore."

"Like I said, I had this dream, and it turned out that I'm a bit more, um, related to Star than I thought. Like, fate-intertwined related. So I did the natural thing. I freaked out a bit and..."

* * *

Even when struck unconscious, she could still feel the environment around her. Over a thousand years of training had enlightened her senses, kept her on her toes and she can never have deep sleep anymore. Shallow dreams, always half conscious, ready to sprang up and fight any moment.

Well, the kidnappers should've known better than to sneak on the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. It's not an easy job and if the Huntresses are superior, she has to be even more so. The moment that stupid sword knocked her out, she had known who are her kidnappers. The carefully measured strike? The flash of silver? It all led up to one group...

"This is not funny, sisters." Star groaned, sarcasm dripped in her voice.

"Heh, I think it's pretty cool. Don't know why you'd think otherwise." A girl said cheerfully. She cannot tell who it is, though, because of the blindfold tightened around her eyes, and the ropes bound her to the wooden chair.

"Release me this instant!"

"Nah. Just gonna let you sit there for a while, lieutenant." Star can practically feel the smirk on the girl's face, along with sniggers from others around her. Good. She needed a hostage and there are so many to choose from.

"I know what you're thinking, Star. Better forget about it, though. The first thing we did after you're unconscious is to disarm you. And yes, that includes the emergency knifes in your boots. And the hunting daggers you strapped to your arm. And the poisonous brooch you hid in your hair. Honestly, sis, why do you have so many weapons?" The girl said with amusement, mixed with a bit disapproval.

"You must be a new Hunter, then. The importance of hidden weapon is not to ignore. It can bring about your downfall pretty soon if you're careless, sister."

"Enough with your preach, Butterfly. Lady Artemis wishes to see you." The girl hissed threateningly. "Chantelle, Hope, untie her."

Star can feel her bonds loosened and ropes falling around her wrists. Rubbing the sore muscles, she pulled her blindfold away.

"Brittney Wong, the infamous nymph. Why am I not surprised?" She said sourly, having known well enough of the nymph's dislike, or better, hatred of her. The Hunters of Artemis had been divided into two factions long ago, when their previous lieutenant fell in battle. The Star supporters, which consists of the comrades that had joined her in battles a thousand years ago, and the Brittney supporters are the younger Hunters, whom disliked Star for the hard training routines that she put on them, and her professional, unforgiving personality. Star was up for the job as a lieutenant, but this new Asian girl joined the Hunt and did everything in her powers to get the leader position, even results in playing dirty. During their fight, Lady Artemis had been quite... busy with preparations for a war, so their rivalry had thankfully gone unnoticed by the goddess.

"Do not call me that, Daughter of Aphrodite." She sneered. "Take her to our Mistress." Brittney ordered coldly, and despite Star's lieutenant status, the girls hooked their arms into hers, hoisting her up like a criminal.

"Let me go, you fools!" She screamed outrageously, kicking the air and struggling to escape their iron grip. But the girls are slightly burlier than her, and she was disarmed, while they each held a dagger, alarmed and ready to knock her out if she did something stupid. Besides, even if they're her enemy's supporters, and they probably hate her to the core, they're still Hunters. Her sworn sisters in arms. She would never hurt them if she can avoid it. Which she can, so what's the point?

The point is that you're the lieutenant. You're their leader. You're supposed to be tough. Don't let them bully you, Butterfly.

 _Oh you know nothing._ She scowled at herself. _Shut up._

The Hunters took her to Lady Artemis's tent, which is conveniently located in the far end of the small clearing. Perfect to parade her around the camp for extra humiliation. It seems a bit too much of a coincident for her to believe it. Oh, she swore to the gods, if this is another one of those stupid plans that Brittney made to lure her into losing the goddess's favor, she's going to take that bow of hers and shove it up her...

Okay, Star. Calm down. Deep breaths. You're cool, you're cool.

Fortunately, her sudden rage and emotional conflicts had gone unnoticed by the girls. They continued their shameful parade until they reached Lady Artemis's tent. Then they just dropped her off like a sack of rock, but she quickly got to her feet and stood tall and proud, determined to keep what's left of her shattered reputation here.

She pushed off the girls and quietly made her way into the tent. The goddess was caressing her deer's fur, but immediately perked up at the slightest soft paddle that Star's boots made. Uh oh. She thought. She looked less than pleased.

Indeed, Artemis looked cold. Her immortal eyes shone icy silver, her auburn hair burned slightly at the sun rays that escaped into her tent. It's been a long time, more like an eternity, since her Mistress last gave her that look.

"Star, my lieutenant." The goddess greeted her with hesitantly opened arms and a fake smile, her eyes still distant.

"Milady, I have come here to accept your scorn about a mistake I have, apparently, made. I have no wish to receive a warm greeting. With all due respect, Mistress, do not torment yourself with such efforts that will eventually all in vain." She sighed, her head down in shame. Artemis looked stunned at first, but then the happy mask dropped, revealing a pity look.

"Oh, Star." The goddess said, her tone sincere. "I know. I know everything."

"You-you what?" Star asked, a bit confused.

Artemis laughed half-heartedly. "You didn't think that the same goddess who got shot by Eros's arrows would be oblivious about the Blood Moon, did you?"

Oh. That makes sense.

"I know everything, and it's not your fault. Or your soul-bounded company. The Fates weave destiny, and it's been decided a few millennia ago that the two of you will be bounded together. For the record, my dear, I don't blame you."

"Then why did you hauled me off here?" She questioned respectfully.

"Well, there is something you should know. This is, in fact, your tenth lifetime bounded in the magic of the Blood Moon and, unfortunately, the last one. Alas, eternity could only last so long. And every single time you tried to look for your, dare I say, _soulmate_ , you both ended up in tragic deaths. Tom made sure of it, despite Aphrodite and I's combined efforts. You could only do so much against an Underworld god on his home court. All the other times the Blood Moon protected you from the Underworld's judgement, and shipped you straight to rebirth. But, since this is your last lifetime, the magic will fade completely when you die, which makes your soul vulnerable to Tom's horrific vengeance.

"To be completely honest, Star, I have grew quite fond of you, and even that is an understatement. I do not want to lose you, much less your soul. If you insist on a reunion with your soulmate then I cannot protect you. But, if you gave me your oath that you will never declare your undying love for him then I can shield you from that fate, so that the boy will die and you two will not be bound anymore. Sure, his punishments in the Underworld will be unthinkable, really, it's hard to say with Tom's twisted creativity, but at least you will be safe. And when you will eventually fall in battle, your so-called crimes will be cleansed and Tom will not be able to touch you. Your soul will be kept for another lifetime if you choose rebirth over Elysium, and I shall welcome you again."

Star was quiet the entire time her goddess was speaking. Her mind went into hyper mode, calculating. Her unexplainable raging emotions suddenly make sense now, for better or worse. She... has a chance with... Marco? But– it also means the doom of both of their souls, right? Then what's the point?

 _The point is if you keep being a Hunter and hiding from fate then_ Marco _will suffer, you dumb dumb._

Huh. Well damn, she really does care about him, doesn't she?

"Look, Star." Artemis said calmly, shocking her out of her mindless state. "Technically the choice is yours, but I believe that we both know what is better for you, right?"

"Y-Yes. Of course, milady."

"Splendid. You are free to go. Remember, bring the boy back to Camp Half-Blood in one piece. Otherwise our plan will not work, for reasons that I am not allowed to reveal." The goddess smiled genuinely, and Star took it as her cue to leave.

 _What am I going to do with Marco now?_ She thought as she strolled across the camp, zoning out a little bit. She didn't notice as someone tapped her shoulder.

"Hey!" A girl said cheerfully. "What's up, lieutenant?"

Star quickly turned her head at the strangely familiar voice. Short dark blue hair, brown mischievous eyes and a trademark olive green beanie. A Celestial Bronze sword sheathed on her side, a bow slung over her shoulder. She was dressed ready for battle, as always.

"Janna!" Star greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh stop it, B-Fly." A more modern nickname that is not Star's favourite. "I know you missed me and all, but today I'm here for work."

"Oh? What does an Amazon like you need in this temporary camp?" She asked, amusement in her voice.

"Ah. Just bringing some recruits, that's all. We came across a few girls last Wednesday and they were scheming how to murder the boys in their neighbourhood for flirting comments, and making it seems like an accident. It's perfect Hunters of Artemis spirit, if you ask me." Janna smirked mockingly, cleaning her nails with a dagger.

"That's true." Star laughed in delight. New recruits? Sweet! The latest recruitment had been a century ago. They could really use some new faces.

"Well, it's nice catching up with you and all, lieutenant, but I'm afraid I have to go." Janna apologized. "Still need to report back to the Queen and send her some of Artemis's praises and stuff."

"No problem, Daughter of Hermes. Try not to pick the new girls' pockets, will you?"

"No promises!" She laughed as she took off down the hill, sword clanging against her bronze armour. It seems a bit weird that even in armour, she still have her beanie on. But that beanie used to be her boyfriend's, and he passed away a few years ago in a battle, so it's not too hard to understand. True, Star never even liked love stories, but Janna's is special. That girl has only been her friend for a while, but no one quite knows the Butterfly girl like Janna.

 _But I hope someone in the future will._ Her subconscious reminded her of a certain Latino boy with dreamy brown eyes and a cute little mole…

Okay. She seriously needed help.

* * *

 **Ohhh! Artemis is interfering with this now, huh? I guess we all know what will Star chose, but no spoilers guys! *smirks***

 **Janna is making an appearance...**

 **Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about this and I want to write another Starco story, with a completely different plot and AU. I will not, however, abandon this story. Nope, never. And that other story could be, I repeat,** _ **could be**_ **, rated M sooo if anyone is interested please leave a review or PM me, m'kay? I kinda want to know your opinion about this one =))**

 **Favs, follows and especially reviews are very much appreciated! Remember, one review equals a talking laser puppy! Drown in the cuteness!**


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